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UNIVEKSALISM, 


THE 


DOCTRINE 


OF 


THE   BIBLE. 


BY    REV.    ASHER    MOORE. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PRINTED  FOR  THE  PUBLISHER,  BY  J.  H.  GIHON, 

K.  E.  CORXEH.    OF    SIXTH    X^D    CHliSTKUT    STS. 

1847. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  by  J.  L.  Gihon,  in 
the  District  Court  for  the  Eastern  Di.srrict  of  Pennsylvania, 
in  the  year  1847. 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction,  _  .  .  -  5 

Chapter  T. — The  Divine  Existence,  -  12 

II.— The  Creation,  -  -  20 

III. — The  Divine  Purpose  in  the  Creation,   24 
IV. — The  Introduction  of  Sin  into  the 

World,  -  -  31 

V. — The  same  subject  continued,     -  42 

VI.— The  Fall  of  Man,  -  -  51 

VII. — Retribution  under  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Dispensation,  -  67 
VIII. — The  same  subject  continued,  84 
IX. — Gospel  Promises  of  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, -  -  -  106 
X.  —The  Trinity,  -  -  124 
XI. — The  same  subject  continued,  -  140 
XII.— The  Person  of  Christ,  -  148 
XIII.— The  Mission  of  Christ,  -  163 
XIV. — Universal  Salvation,  -  171 
XV.— Special  Salvation,       -             -         191 


INTRODUCTION. 

We  propose  in  the  work  upon  which  we  now 
enter,  to  consider  a  variety  of  important  and  in- 
teresting subjects.  And  we  shall  aim  so  to  connect 
the  several  topics  of  discourse  as  to  present  a  tole- 
rable synopsis  of  Universalist  TnEOLOGr.  Be- 
ginning with  the  Divine  Existence  and  the  great 
work  of  creation,  we  intend  to  close  with  the  final 
consummation  of  God's  economy  in  the  govern- 
ment of  his  offspring. 

Such  is  the  vast  field  which  we  shall  attempt  in 
some  measure  to  explore.  But  the  magnitude 
and  the  extent  of  the  subject  admonish  us  in  the 
outset  to  be  moderate  in  our  calculations,  and  to 
promise  no  more  than  an  imperfect  investigation 
of  some  of  the  more  prominent  points  that  will  be 
presented  to  view.  Fully  to  consider  the  great 
theme  in  all  its  multiform  bearings  and  relations 
would  require  more  time  than  we  can  bestow,  and 
far  greater  abiUty  than  we  can  command. 

But  we  are  persuaded  that  the  Scriptures  record 
certain    momentous  facts  that    rise    prominently 
out  of  the  general  subject  of  which  they  treat,  and 
1*  5 


6  INTRODUCTIOPr. 

which  may  be  followed  in  their  proper  connexion 
from  the  origin  of  man  to  the  ultwiate  destiny  of 
our  race.  And  instead  of  even  attempting  a  tho- 
rough examination  of  the  whole  subject  of  Christian 
Theology,  we  shall  expect  merely  to  note  the  great 
landmarks  that  appear  in  the  field  before  us. — 
Guided  by  the  lights  of  revelation,  and  utter  re- 
gardless of  the  vain  philosophy  of  the  world  and 
all  the  wild  and  visionary  speculations  of  men, 
wise  in  their  own  conceit,  we  feel  a  confident  as- 
surance, that  though  we  may  overlook  many  im- 
portant facts,  and  widely  err  in  regard  to  others, 
we  can  succeed  in  eliciting  all  the  leading  and  fun- 
damental truths  of  our  holy  religion. 

Although  sharp  controversies  have  arisen,  and 
unhappy  dissensions  have  ensued,  on  account  of 
slight  disagreements  of  opinion  concerning  the 
religion  of  Christ,  the  fact  cannot  be  denied  that 
his  avowed  followers  hold  doctrines  which  embrace 
the  most  opposite  and  conflicting  principles.  One 
teaches  that  God  is  the  Savior  of  only  a  part  of  the 
human  race — another  holds  that  he  "  is  the  Savior 
of  all  men."  One  contends  that  God  will  eternal- 
ize sin,  and  invest  it  with  his  own  attribute  of  im- 
mortality and  unceasingly  torment  a  portion  of  his 
own  offspring  without  intending  ever  to  do  them 


INTRODUCTION.  7 

any  good — and  another  maintains  that  all  sin  is 
Umited  in  nature  and  duration,  and  that  though 
the  chastenings  inflicted  by  the  Divine  hand  are 
not  joyous,  but  grievous  to  the  sufferer,  they  will 
'•  afterward  yield  the  peaceable  fruit  of  righteous- 
ness unto  them  which  are  exercised  thereby." — 
Heb.  xii.  9-11.  Surely  these  are  not  trifling  dif- 
ferences, but  truths  of  infinite  moment  are  here 
involved.  And  in  view  of  these  things,  all  disputes 
about  the  number  of  persons  in  the  Godhead,  the 
mode  of  water  baptism,  the  forms  of  worship  and 
the  ordinances  of  religion,  appear  too  insignificant 
to  be  made  the  theme  of  anxious  inquiry,  or  the 
ground  of  zealous  contention  and  strife.  The  most 
deeply  important  subject  that  ever  engaged  the 
attention  of  the  human  mind,  is  that  which  relates 
to  the  purpose  and  the  destiny  of  our  being.  What 
IS  **  the  doctrine  of  baptism,"  or  of  orders  in  the 
church,  compared  with  the  great  problem  of  man's 
immortal  destiny  ?  And  how  small  and  unmean- 
ing is  the  business  of  sharp  and  acrimonious  con- 
tentions about  such  things,  while  the  infinitely 
greater  question,  involving  the  endless  weal  or  woe 
of  the  human  family  remains  undetermined,  and  is 
hardly  cared  for.  Let  it  first  be  decided  whether 
God,  who  "  is  good  unto  all,"  and  whose  '*  tender 


8  INTRODUCTION. 

mercies  are  over  all  his  works/'  and  who  never 
changes,  "  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to 
come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  When 
this  great  question,  embracing  the  highest  interests 
and  involving  our  final  and  immortal  destiny,  is 
fully  settled,  other  subjects,  less  momentous,  may 
properly  be  considered. 

We  feel  unwilling  to  employ  our  time  and  waste 
our  energies  in  controverting  any  minor  point  of 
doctrine,  while  a  great  and  important  question,  in- 
volving the  ultimate  destiny  of  the  human  race,  is 
undecided  in  the  public  mind.  After  ages  of  in- 
quiry and  disputation,  this  question  is  not  yet 
settled.  With  the  help  of  God,  we  are  determined 
to  do  all  that  we  can  toward  deciding  the  con- 
troversy. And  though  we  claim  no  superior  pow- 
ers, we  are  fully  impressed  with  the  belief,  that 
leaving  all  the  creeds  of  men  out  of  view,  and 
divesting  the  mind  of  all  unreasonable  prejudice, 
a  direct  appeal  to  the  oracles  of  divine  truth  will 
enable  us  to  understand  "  all  the  counsel  of  God." 
We  consider  the  Scriptures  sufficiently  explicit  on 
every  important  point  of  faith  to  direct  the  honest 
and  candid  mind  aright.  And  one  reason  why  the 
testimony  of  the  Divine  Spirit  is  not  now  more 
generally  understood,  is,  that  the  investigations  of 


INTRODUCTION.  S 

Christian  people  have  been  too  much  devoted  to 
things  that  belong  not  to  essential  truths.  Tiie 
time,  we  think,  has  now  come  when  the  most  im- 
portant of  all  doctrines  must  be  decided.  There 
is  a  spirit  of  inquiry  abroad  in  the  land  that  will 
never  rest  satisfied  until  it  is  known  whether  St. 
Paul  testified  truly,  when  he  declared  that  "  the 
living  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men."  We  believe 
that  the  apostle  was  right.  And  we  are  not  with- 
out hope  that  we  shall  be  among  the  humble  in- 
struments in  the  hands  of  God  of  making  known 
this  great  and  glorious  truth  to  many  who  are  "  in 
darkness  even  until  now,"  and  who  groan  in  the 
bondage  of  fear  ! 

We  should  most  heartily  rejoice  to  witness  a 
more  general  and  earnest  attention  to  the  deeply 
interesting  and  absorbing  theme  of  which  we  have 
thus  spoken.  And  we  are  free  to  confess  in  this 
early  stage  of  our  labor  that  the  chief  objects  which 
we  have  in  view,  is  to  show  by  the  word  of  God 
for  what  high  and  holy  purpose  we  were  called 
into  existence,  and  whai  should  be  the  final  end  of 
our  being.  Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that 
this  one  subject  will  be  constantly  pressed  upon  the 
attention  of  the  reader,  to  the  utter  neglect  of  every 
other  topic  embraced  in  the  general  theme.     This 


10  INTRODUCTION. 

is  the  chief  and  highest  end  at  which  we  aim.  But 
in  the  prosecution  of  the  work,  we  venture  to  hope 
that  the  candid  and  atttentive  reader  will  be  both 
interested  and  profitted  in  regard  to  a  variety  of 
topics,  all  bearing  upon,  or  holding  a  certain  rela- 
tion to  the  one  general  and  glorious  conclusion. 


UNIVERSALIS!, 
THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 


CHAPTER  I. 
THE  DIVINE  EXISTENCE. 

"It  is  related  of  Epicurus,  that  when  a  boy,  read- 
ing with  his  preceptor  these  verses  of  Hesiod, 

"  Eldest  of  beings,  Chaos  first  arose, 
Thence  Earth  wide  stretched,  the  steadfast  seat  of  all 
The  Immortals," 

the  young  scholar  first  betrayed  his  inquisitive  ge- 
nius by  asking, '  And  Chaos  whence  ?'  When  in  his 
riper  years  he  had  persuaded  himself  that  the  ques- 
tion was  sufficiently  answered  by  saying  that  Chaos 
arose  from  the  concourse  of  atoms,  it  is  strange  that 
the  same  inquisitive  spirit  did  not  again  suggest 
the  question,  'whence  V  And  it  is  clear  that  how- 
ever often  the  question  'whence?' had  been  an- 
swered, it  would  still  start  up  as  at  first."  It  is 
therefore  easily  perceived  that  however  remotely 
we  may  trace  the  causes  of  existing  things,  and 
whatever  curious  and  fanciful  theories  we  may 
indulge  on  this  subject,  we  must  ultimately  arrive 
at  the  grand  conclusion  that  there  was  in  existence 
before  all  created  things,  a  life-giving  and  an  intelli- 
2  13 


14    ITNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRIi\E  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

gent  First  Cause.  The  skill  and  design  manifest- 
ed in  the  works  of  creation — the  order  and  harmony 
of  the  universe — and  the  wise  and  perfect  adapta- 
tion of  one  thing  to  another,  and  of  means  to  ends, 
can  be  rationally  and  satisfactorily  accounted  for 
in  no  other  way.  This  great  Cause  we  call  God — 
leaving  others  to  call  it  what  they  please.  If  any 
choose  to  call  it  Nature  or  the  Laws  of  Nature,  4ve 
shall  not  dispute  their  right,  though  we  must  ques- 
tion their  good  sense.  And,  indeed,  we  are  strong- 
ly inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  whole  controversy 
is  more  about  words  than  any  thing  else  :  for  it 
seems  impossible  for  the  mind  to  believe  that  any 
sane  man  is  actually  an  Atheist  ! 

No  credulity  can  go  beyond  that  which  supposes 
that  all  created  objects  have  come  into  existence 
without  the  will  of  a  presiding  Intelligence,  and 
just  as  blind  and  unknowing  chance  happened  to 
determine !  He  who  should  believe  that  a  watch, 
or  the  most  curiously  wrought  piece  of  mechanism 
that  human  ingenuity  ever  invented,  came  together 
of  itself,  and  arranged  all  its  motions  and  opera- 
tions, without  any  previous  skill  or  design,  would 
be  reasonable,  compared  with  him  who  should  be- 
lieve that  my  hand  or  my  eye  was  produced  by  a 
blind  and  an  unthinking  power !  And  in  viewing 
ourselves — mere  specks  in  the  immensity  of  God's 
works,  may  we  not  well  say  with  the  devout  and 
contemplative  Psalmist,  "  He  that  planted  the  ear, 
shall  He  not  hear.  He  that  formed  the  eye,  shall 
He  not  see  ?" 

One  of  the  most  convincing  proofs  of  the  wisdom 
and  the  power  of  God,  is  presented  in  the  fact  that 
every  created  object  of  which  we  have  any  know- 


THE  DIVINE  EXISTENCE.  15 

ledge,  is  a  compound;  and  must  therefore  have 
been  composed  of  particles  or  elements  that  previ- 
ously existed  in  a  simple  state.  And  the  distinct 
forms,  and  properties,  and  infinitely  diversified  or- 
ganizations which  the  works  of  creation  exhibit, 
can  be  explained  by  no  fancied  tendency  of  things 
to  form  themselves  with  the  different  shapes  and 
colors  and  qualities  by  which  they  are  distinguished. 
Tfrner,  in  his  Sacred  History  of  the  World,  has 
said  with  good  sense  and  true  philosophy  : — 

"  If  the  material  world  had  been  one  uniform 
homogeneous  mass,  its  eternal  existence  would 
have  been  always  a  possibility.  It  would  then  not 
have  contained  any  evidence  in  itself  to  contradict 
the  supposition.  But  the  actual  fact  is,  that  all 
visible  nature  is  a  multifarious  association  of  verj'- 
compounded  substances.  Nothing  is  simple — no- 
thing is  uncompounded.  Every  thing  we  see,  feel, 
or  handle  is  a  composition,  a  mixture  or  union  of 
more  particles,  or  of  more  elements  than  one.  Not 
merely  the  grosser  earthly  bodies  are  so,  but  even 
the  water,  the  air,  andthe  light  are  in  this  compound- 
ed state.  Now  it  is  impossible  that  any  compound 
can  have  been  eternally  a  compound.  Composition 
and  eternity  are  as  incompatible  as  to  be  and  not 
to  be.  The  particles  of  which  compounds  consist 
must  have  been  in  some  other  state  before  they 
were  compounded  together.  The  single  condition 
of  the  elements  must  have  preceded  their  union 
in  the  composition  ;  and  thus  it  is  physically  im- 
possible that  a  compound  can  have  been  eternal. 
The  schoolboy  perceives  at  once  that  his  plumcake 
cannot  have  been  eternal !  The  plums,  the  flour, 
the  butter,  the  eggs,  and  the  sugar,  of  which  it  is 


16    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

composed,  must  have  been  in  some  other  place 
or  state,  before  they  were  brought  together  to  make 
the  substance  which  gratifies  him.  So  the  mighty- 
world  we  live  on,  the  rocks,  the  mountains,  the 
minerals — so  every  substance  around  us,  animate 
and  inanimate, — cannot  have  been  eternal,  because 
every  one  is  a  combination  of  numerous  particles, 
usually  very  heterogeneous,  and  the  primary  ele- 
ments of  each  must  have  been  in  their  elementary 
state,  and  in  some  other  position,  before  they 
moved  and  joined  into  their  compounded  one." 

In  view  of  the  important  and  undeniable  fact  here 
stated,  what  can  be  more  manifest  to  the  thinking 
mind  than  that  some  skilful  and  contriving  hand 
has  moulded  the  materials  of  nature  into  the  infi- 
nitely varied  forms  and  substances  which  we  behold 
around  us  ?  These  formations  can  be  traced  to  no 
natural  tendency  of  things,  which  chance,  in  its 
wild  workings,  might  have  determined ;  but  they 
exhibit  incontestible  proofs  of  previous  arrange- 
ments and  skilfully  devised  plans  to  produce  cer- 
tain and  distinct  results.  And  here  we  ask  per- 
mission to  introduce  another  extract  from  the 
author  whom  we  have  just  cited. 

"  In  no  part  of  our  terrestrial  abode  is  a  creating 
mind  more  visible  than  in  its  vegetable  kingdom ; 
for,  here,  we  see  everywhere  specific  combinations 
producing  specific  effects,  and  no  other,  and  with 
undeviating  constancy  and  with  the  exactest  cer- 
tainty, each  phenomenon  arising  from  a  peculiar 
and  adapted  organization  distinct  from  every  other, 
which  invariably  produces  its  suited  result,  and  only 
that;  yet  each  but  the  union,  in  different  arrange- 
ments and  quantities,  of  the  same  common  particles. 


THE  DIVINE  EXISTENCE.  17 

No  fancied  tendency  will  explain  this.  The  same 
particles  could  not  tend  to  be  a  thousand  dissimilar 
things.  No  assumed  tendency  can  explain  diver- 
sity :  a  tendency  to  diversity  is  an  impossibility, 
because  that  would  be  a  tendency  to  be  and  yet 
not  to  be,  which  maybe  justly  deemed  an  absurdi- 
ty. If  the  particles  of  vegetable  nature  tended  to 
form  a  rose,  the  same  particles  could  have  no  ten- 
dency in  themselves  to  compose  a  lily.  All  tenden- 
cy, if  such  a  thing  existed,  must  be  specific  and 
uniform;  it  could  not  be  variable.  A  tendency  to 
form,  is  a  tendency  to  do  so,  but  cannot  be  also  a 
tendency  not  to  do  so.  A  tendency  to  form  a  rose 
could  never  form  a  lily,  because  that  would  be  a 
tendency  to  form  and  not  form  a  rose,  which  would 
be  both  a  self-contradiction  and  an  impossibility. 
No  presumed  tendency  can  therefore  explain  the 
numerous  diversities  of  vegetable  organization. 
All  plants  are  formed  of  similar  component  parti- 
cles, varying  only  in  arrangement  and  amount ; 
and  no  particles  that  tended  to  form  one  composi- 
tion could  tend  to  form  another.  But  instead  of 
vegetable  nature  being  only  one  composition,  there 
are  from  40,000  to  80,000  diversified  species.  The 
theory  of  tendencies  is  a  mere  fallacy  of  words. 
Not  a  single  tendency  has  been  proved  to  exist. 
All  nature  is,  in  each  of  its  departments,  an  assem- 
blage of  various  compounds  of  similar  elementary 
particles.  A  tendency  of  these  to  form  any  one 
would  form  only  that  one,  and  no  other.  Bat  in- 
stead of  all  things  being  only  multiples  of  a  single 
compound,  the  universal  character  of  nature  is,  in 
all  its  classes,  that  of  multiform  multiplicitv ;  of 
2* 


18    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

compound  diversity  so  inexhaustible,  that  of  the 
inexpressible  millions  of  millions  of  substances 
which  are  around  us,  scarcely  any  one  is  the  exact 
counterpart  of  another. 

"You  will  therefore  only  smile  when  you  find 
that  some  men  can  gravely  say,  and  others  gravely 
repeat,  that  one  particle  tended  to  unite  with 
another,  and  these  with  others,  but  only  in  a 
straight  line,  and  then,  that  they  tended  to  bend 
that  line  into  a  ring,  and  then  to  enlarge  that  into 
a  vessel,  and  then  to  branch  out  that  into  other 
vessels,  and  then  to  make  bone,  and  then  to  make 
blood,  and  then  to  form  nerves  and  flesh,  and  then 
to  extend  into  limbs,  and  then  to  make  a  heart,  and 
then  a  pair  of  lungs,  and  then  all  the  other  functions 
of  the  human  body,  one  after  another :  giving  thus 
a  thousand  different  and  inconsistent  tendencies  to 
the  same  elementary  particles,  none  of  which  can 
be  proved,  or  is  likely,  to  iiave  had  any  tendency 
at  all." 

There  is  something  peculiarly  forcible  and  con- 
vincing in  the  simple  facts  which  are  here  present- 
ed ;  and  to  the  reasoning  mind  they  exhibit  the  utter 
impossibility  of  the  multifarious  combinations  that 
exist  in  nature,  without  the  contrivances  of  wisdom 
and  the  directions  of  infinite  skill.  And  we  are 
persuaded  that  the  more  carefully  these  facts  are 
considered,  the  more  firm  will  be  the  conviction 
of  every  rational  man  that  the  Psalmist  spake  the 
words  of  truth  and  soberness,  when  he  said  in 
view  of  the  wonderful  productions  of  almighty 
Power, — "0  Lord,  how  manifold  are  thy  works  ! 
in  wisdom  hast  thou  made  them  all :  the  earth  is 
full  of  thy  riches  '" 


THE  DIVINE  EXISTENCE.  19 

The  heavens  and  the  earth — the  ocean  and  the 
air,  are  filled  with  the  marvellous  doings  of  Him 
who  "  is  wonderful  in  counsel  and  excellent  in 
working  V  It  is  He  who  directs  the  varying  sea- 
sons of  the  year,  and  has  filled  the  earth  with  innu- 
merable forms  of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  and 
determined  the  bounds  of  our  habitation.  While 
his  mighty  hand  directs  the  motions  of  unnumbered 
worlds,  his  unsleeping  eye  sees  the  sparrow  that 
falls  to  the  ground — while  he  upholds  the  universal 
frame  of  nature,  he  hears  the  ravens  when  they  cry 
and  stops  the  young  eagles'  mouths  with  food — 
and  while  he  exists  far  beyond  the  extent  of  our 
vision,  he  is  "  not  far  from  every  one  of  us  :/or  in 
him  ive  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being.^^ 


CHAPTER    II. 
THE    CREATION. 

By  the  ^*six  days"  in  which  the  work  of  creation 
is  said  to  have  been  accompUshed,  we  should  per- 
haps understand  so  many  ages  or  dispensations. 
Six  periods  of  time,  called  "  days"  in  the  account, 
were  occupied  in  the  work  of  creation :  and  a  like 
period  of  rest  afterwards  ensued,  in  which,  it  is  not 
unreasonable  to  suppose,  the  whole  work  gradual- 
ly attained  a  state  of  perfection.  We  cannot  there- 
fore positively  determine  whether  the  Mosaic  ac- 
count should  be  dated  at  the  commencement,  or  at 
the  close  of  the  work  of  creation.  Nor  is  it  really 
important  that  we  should  know  :  for  our  conviction 
of  the  fact  that  "  God  created  the  heaven  and  the 
earth,"  does  not  depend  upon  our  knowledge  of 
the  precise  time  when  the  work  was  either  begun 
or  finished. 

And  as  to  the  discrepancy  which  some  sharp- 
sighted  philosophers  profess  to  have  detected  be- 
tween the  first  and  the  second  chapters  of  the  book 
of  Genesis,  we  think  the  alleged  contradiction  is, 
after  all,  to  be  imputed  to  a  very  superficial  read- 
ing. For  although  the  first  chapter  records  the 
creation  of  all  things,  and  the  second  speaks  of  a 
time  when  "  there  was  not  a  man  to  till  the  ground," 
it  should  be  understood  that  the  sacred  historian 
first  gives  a  mere  synopsis  of  the  whole  subject, 


THE  CREATION.  21 

and  afterwards  enters  more  into  detail.  After  hav- 
ing briefly  and  comprehensively  stated  all  the  ma- 
terial facts  connected  with  the  history,  it  is  not 
strange  that  he  should  have  said,  "  These  are  the 
generations  of  the  heavens  and  of  the  earth  when 
they  were  created."  He  referred  to  what  he  had 
before  declared  ;  and  so  far  from  contradicting  him- 
self, he  merely  repeated  in  another  form  and  with 
greater  particularity,  the  generations  or  the  order 
of  the  work  of  creation.  And  we  should  hardly 
charge  a  biographer  with  absurdity  or  inconsisten- 
cy, if  he  should  first  record  the  time  of  a  man's 
birth  and  the  time  of  his  death,  and  afterwards  in 
the  same  work  speak  of  a  time  when  the  man  was 
still  in  existence,  and  actively  engaged  in  the  affairs 
of  life.  But  we  need  not  pursue  this  train  of 
thought.  And  we  think  it  may  well  be  questioned 
whether  any  good  end  can  be  gained  by  attaching 
great  importance  to  all  the  empty  quibbles  aud 
vain  cavils  of  skepticism. 

But  we  desire  particularly  to  notice  the  import- 
ant facts  stated  at  the  close  of  the  general  account 
of  the  creation.  These  facts  are,  that  God  saw 
every  thing  that  he  had  made  ;  and  that  when  he 
thus  saw  all  his  work,  he  was  well  satisfied,  and 
perceived  that  they  were  perfectly  good.  "  And 
God  saw  every  thing  that  he  had  made,  and  behold, 
it  was  very  good.''      We  are  here  taught, 

1st.  That  God  saw  every  thing  that  he  had 
made,  and  was  therefore  well  acquainted  with  all 
the  productions  of  his  hands.  There  was  nothing 
in  any  creature  to  which  he  had  given  life,  nor  in 
the  whole  world  which  he  had  spoken  into  being 
by  the  word  of  his  power,  but  what  his  omniscient 


22    UNIVERSALISM,   THE  DOCTRINE    OP  THE  BIBLE. 

eye  saw,  and  his  infinite  understanding  perfectly 
understood.  He  knew  the  nature,  the  wants  and 
the  capabilities  of  his  entire  animated  creation  ;  and 
clearly  perceived  all  the  feelings,  desires  and  pas- 
sions that  dwell  in  the  earthly  constitution  of  man. 
His  power  alone  produced  the  work,  and  nothing, 
either  immediate  or  remote,  was  in  any  wise  con- 
cealed from  his  all-searching  vision.  Whatever 
was  in  man  the  great  Creator  himself  implanted 
there.  And  God  plainly  foresaw  all  the  bearings 
and  operations  and  results  of  every  cause  that  could 
ever  possibly  affect  the  condition  or  the  destiny 
of  any  of  his  creatures.     We  are  here  taught, 

2d.  That  with  this  perfect  knowledge  of  all  the 
productions  of  his  omnific  power,  God  pronounced 
the  whole  work  of  creation — every  thing  that  he 
had  made,  very  good.  He  was  a  Being  of  unbound- 
ed and  immeasurable  love — for  "  God  is  love,^^ 
and  he  possesses  nothing  by  measure.  He  had  no 
counsellor  to  offer  advice  and  none  to  instruct  him. 
No  principle  opposed  to  his  own  pure  and  holy 
nature  could  have  actuated  his  will  or  influenced 
the  exercise  of  his  creative  energy.  No  feeling  of 
malevolence  (for  none  existed  with  him)  could 
have  controlled  the  operations  of  his  wisdom  and 
power.  He  was  prompted  only  by  the  impulses  of 
his  own  nature.  He  intended  his  work  to  be 
worthy  of  himself.  And  when  it  was  completed 
he  saw  the  whole,  and  with  unmingled  satisfaction 
pronounced  it  all  "  very  good." 

From  this  simple  declaration  we  can  reasonably 
infer  nothing  less  than  that  the  life  of  every  creature 
was  intended  to  be  a  blessing — that  all  were  con- 
stituted for  enjoyment — and,  in  a  word,  that  every 


THE  CREATION.  23 

living  thing  was  to  be  a  gainer  by  existence.  For 
it  would  impeach  the  benevolence  as  well  as  the 
veracity  of  God,  to  suppose  that  he  would  pro- 
nounce any  of  his  creatures  very  good,  with  the 
certain  and  infallible  knowledge  that  such  creature's 
existence  ever  was  or  ever  will  be  a  curse. 

Such  then  is  the  state  in  which  we  find  the 
whole  creation  as  it  came  from  the  forming  hand 
of  the  great  Creator.  And  so  far,  we  are  free  to 
presume,  there  is  a  perfect  concurrence  of  senti- 
ment among  all  believers  in  divine  revelation. 
Whatever  diversities  of  opinion  may  be  held  in 
regard  to  the  final  results  of  God's  dealings  with 
his  creatures,  all  will  agree  that  the  works  of  crea- 
tion were  all  originally  good.  The  note  of  Dr.  A. 
Clarke  on  the  declarations  in  question,  namely, 
that  God  saiv  every  thing,  and  pronounced  it  very 
good,  most  clearly  and  forcibly  expresses  the  trutFi 
of  the  whole  matter.  And  we  are  happy  to  find 
that  a  distinguished  opposer  in  doctrine  has  so 
clearly  stated  the  very  truth  which  we  aim  to  set 
forth.  He  says,  "  and  behold,  it  was  very  good, 
SwperlativeJy  or  only  good  :  as  good  as  they  could 
be.  The  plan  wise,  the  work  well  executed,  the 
different  parts  properly  arranged,  their  nature, 
limits,  mode  of  existence,  manner  of  propagation, 
habits,  mode  of  sustenance,  &c.,  &c.,  properly  and 
permanently  established  and  secured ;  for  every 
thing  was  formed  to  the  utmost  perfection  of  its 
nature,  so  that  nothing  could  be  added  or  dimin- 
ished without  encumbering  the  operations  of  matter 
and  spirit  on  the  one  hand,  or  rendering  them  in- 
efficient to  the  end  proposed,  on  the  other  ;  and  God 
has  so  done  all  these  marvellous  works,  as  to  be 
glorified  in  all,  by  all,  and  through  all." 


CHAPTER    III. 
THE  DIVINE  PURPOSE  IN  THE  CREATION. 

Having  proceeded  thus  far,  we  are  now  prepared 
to  state  a  few  self-evident  propositions,  that  have 
a  most  important  bearing  upon  our  whole  subject. 
We  have  seen  at  the  close  of  the  creation  a  work 
that  was  in  all  respects  well  known  to  God,  and  by 
him  pronounced  very  ^ood.  So  far  all  his  designs 
were  accomplished,  and  the  ends  of  his  benevo- 
lence fully  attained.  But  we  intend  to  push  our 
inquiries  still  farther,  and  ascertain,  if  possible,  the 
divine  purpose  in  reference  to  our  whole  existence 
and  the  final  destmy  of  our  being. 

]st.  In  creating  man,  God  designed  him  for  some 
particular  end;  or  else  he  did  not  thus  design  him. 
That  the  former  of  these  propositions  is  true,  seems 
necessarily  to  result  from  the  nature  and  character 
which  the  Scriptures  and  all  reasonable  men  as- 
cribe to  the  Divinity.  He  is  infinite  in  wisdom  ; 
and  a  wise  being  never  puts  forth  his  power  in  any 
work  without  design.  Nor  can  we  reasonably  sup- 
pose that  with  a  perfect  knowledge  of  all  his  works, 
God  would  pronounce  them  either  good  or  bad, 
without  reference  to  some  purpose  for  which  he 
intended  them. 

When  a  man  constructs  a  machine  and  pronounces 
it  .ifoofl?,   we   all  understand    him  to  mean  that  it 
will  operate  according  to  his  intentions,  and  pro- 
24 


THE  DIVINE  PUIIPOSE   I\   THE  CREATION.         25 

duce  the  results  which  he  designed — or  at  least 
that  his  estimate  of  its  value  depends  upon  the 
ends  which  he  expects  it  to  accomplish.  With  the 
Uttle  and  erring  wisdom  which  we  possess,  the 
marks  of  design  appear  in  all  our  doings.  And 
notwithstanding  the  infinite  diversity  of  opinions 
which  prevails  among  men,  it  would  seem  impossi- 
ble for  any  thinking  man  really  to  believe  that  He 
who  is  the  very  source  of  all  wisdom  should  give 
us  existence  without  dengning  the  end  of  our 
being. 

Of  the  divine  purpose  in  the  creation  of  the  ma- 
terial world  which  we  inhabit,  we  read  in  the  45th 
chapter  of  Isaiah,'  "  For  thus  saith  the  Lord  that 
created  the  heavens  ;  God  himself  that  formed  the 
earth  and  made  it,  he  hath  established  it,  he  creat- 
ed it  not  in  vain,  he  formed  it  to  be  inhabited.''^ 
Such  is  the  purpose  for  which  the  earth  was  form- 
ed. And  shall  we  suppose  that  man,  the  last  and 
noblest  work  of  God  upon  its  surface — man,  who 
was  created  in  the  likeness  and  image  of  his  Maker, 
was  created  for  no  final  purpose  ?  We  should  be 
sorry  to  believe  that  any  man  seriously  holds  such 
an  opinion.  All  concur  in  the  belief  of  this  simple 
but  important  fact,  that  man  was  made  for  some 
purpose.  And  it  appears  so  self-evident  and  un- 
deniable, that  nothing  farther  need  be  said  to  sub- 
stantiate it. 

2d.  The  end  for  which  God  purposed  man  was 
benevolent ;  or  else  it  was  not  benevolent.  The 
affirmative  of  this  proposition  may  be  established 
by  the  same  train  of  argument  which  we  have  al- 
ready employed.  God  was  a  being  of  perfect  and 
unbounded  goodness.     No  extraneous  cause  could 


26    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

possibly  have  influenced  his  mind  in  the  work 
which  he  intended  to  perform.  Love  alone  prompt- 
ed the  exercise  of  his  creative  power ;  and  what- 
ever he  purposed  must  have  been  perfectly  com- 
patible with  the  principles  of  his  own  nature. 
Every  thing  was  made  according  to  his  own 
will ;  and  all  the  purposes  of  his  mind  were  formed 
independently  of  any  influence  without  himself. 

When,  therefore,  we  come  to  the  Scriptures,  we 
find  the  most  conclusive  and  satisfactory  proof  that 
the  purpose  of  the  Almighty  in  the  creation  was 
good^  and  only  good.  Jesus  is  called  ''  the  Lamb 
slain  from  the  foundation  of  the  world.^^  His 
death  was  embraced  in  the  original  purpose  of  God 
in  the  creation  of  man.  And  who  need  be  inform- 
ed that  the  Lamb  was  slain  as  a  ransom  for  our 
race  from  sin  and  death  and  every  enemy  ?  St. 
Paul  speaks  on  this  interesting  theme  in  language 
not  to  be  misunderstood.  To  Titus  he  says,  "  In 
hope  of  eternal  life,  which  God  that  cannot  lie, 
promised  before  the  world  began.^^  Our  Maker 
could  hsive promised  nothing  but  what  he  purposed 
to  accomplish.  And  in  making  this  promise,  or 
in  forming  this  purpose  in  his  mind  before  the  world 
began,  he  must  surely  have  intended  that  man 
should  become  the  happy  participant  of  the  bless- 
ing promised.  The  same  inspired  author  more- 
over speaks  to  Timothy  of  the  purpose  and  grace 
of  God,  given  us  in  Christ  Jesus  before  the  world 
began,  but  now  made  manifest  by  the  appearing 
of  him  who  hath  abolished  death,  and  hath  brought 
life  and  immortality  to  light  through  the  gospel. 
That  divine  purpose  wiiich  was  formed  before  the 
breath  of  life  was  breathed  into  man,  was  therefore 


THE  DIVINE  PURPOSE  IN  THE  CREATION.  21 

gracious ;  and  in  making  it  manifest  to  man,  the 
Savior  of  the  world  revealed  the  resurrection  state 
of  immortal  glory  and  bliss. 

And  as  the  benevolent  and  gracious  purpose  of 
our  Maker  in  reference  to  the  destiny  of  man,  was 
formed  in  his  own  mind  before  the  world  began, 
the  conclusion  seems  reasonably  to  follow  that  what 
he  purposed  for  one  man  he  purposed  for  all  men. 
For  we  cannot  conceive  what  could  possibly  have 
prompted  him  to  form  more  than  one  purpose — or 
to  design  a  part  of  his  offspring  for  a  benevolent 
end,  and  exclude  the  remainder  from  all  the  bless- 
ings of  his  grace  and  the  joys  of  his  redemption. 
And  accordingly  we  find  it  thus  plainly  declared 
in  the  word  of  life,  that  God  "  hath  abounded  to- 
ward us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence  ;  having  made 
known  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  according 
to  his  good  pleasure  which  he  hath  purposed  in 
himself;  that  in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of 
times,  he  might  gather  together  in  one  all  things 
in  Christ,  both  which  are  in  heaven,  and  which 
are  on  earth,  even  in  him?"  Ephes.  i.  8-10. 

Such,  then,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  was  the 
original  purpose  of  God  in  reference  to  the  ultimate 
destiny  of  that  race  of  beings  upon  whom  he  was 
graciously  pleased  to  impress  the  likeness  and  im- 
age of  himself.  He  intended  all  men  for  eventual 
happiness.  And  in  order  to  accomplish  that  bene- 
volent intention,  he  sent  his  only  begotten  and  well 
beloved  Son  to  taste  death  for  every  man,  to  give 
his  life  a  ransom  for  the  world,  and  to  draw  all 
men  unto  himself! 

3d.  We  now  come  to  state  our  last  proposition, 
which  contains  the  substance  of  the  whole  argu- 


28    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OP  THE  BIRLE. 

merit.  God  knew  when  he  formed  the  benevolent 
pjirpose  of  which  ive  have  spoken  that  it  woxdd 
certainly  he  accomplished,  or  else  he  did  not  know. 

One  of  these  propositions  must  be  </*?/e,  and  the 
other  must  consequently  be  false.  And  we  feel 
not  a  little  interested  to  know  on  which  side  the 
truth  is  really  found.  Is  God  omniscient?  or  is  his 
knowledge  limited?  Did  he  see  the  Lamb  slain 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  promise 
eternal  life  in  Jesus  Christ  before  the  world  began^ 
and  yet  not  know  the  destiny  of  mankind?  Is 
there  a  certain  point  in  the  progress  of  his  economy^ 
beyond  which  all  is  dark  and  uncertain  to  his  own 
mind  ?  And  did  he  purpose  an  end,  without  also 
devising  the  necessary  means  for  its  attainment, 
and  without  knowing  whether  it  would  ever  be 
accomplished  ? 

What  answer  is  heard  in  the  voice  of  reason  > 
God,  a  Being  of  unbounded  knowledge  and  infi- 
nite understanding,  knew  what  v/as  in  man  and 
what  was  in  the  world.  He  perceived  the  opera- 
tions and  the  results  of  all  causes,  however  remote, 
that  could  ever  possibly  affect  his  creatures.  And 
he  saw  the  end  with  as  perfect  knowledge  as  he 
saw  any  part,  or  even  the  beginning  of  his  work, — 
otherwise  his  vision  was  imperfect  and  his  know- 
ledge limited ! 

And  what  says  the  voice  of  inspiration,  which 
is  of  far  higher  authority  on  this  subject  ?  "  Known 
unto  God  are  all  his  works  from  the  beginning  of 
the  world.''  "  I  am  God,  and  there  is  none  like 
me,  declaring  the  end  from  the  beginning,  and 
from  ancient  times  the  things  that  are  not  yet 
done,  saying.  My  counsel  shall  stand,  and  1  will 


THE  DIVINE  PURPOSE  IN  THE  CREATION.         29 

do  all  my  'pleasure.''^  And  can  we  suppose,  in  view 
of  these  and  similar  declarations  of  Scripture,  that 
the  final  destiny  of  any  man  was  ever  unknown  or 
uncertain  to  God  ?  He  both  knew  all  his  works 
and  declared  the  end  from  the  beginning.  And 
when  he  pronounced  all  his  works  very  good,  he 
therefore  saw  the  complete  and  glorious  accom- 
plishment of  his  gracious  purpose  in  the  ultimate 
blessedness  of  all  mankind  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord, 
who  is  the  life  and  the  Savior  of  the  world. 

Here,  then,  leaving  all  creeds  entirely  out  of 
view,  is  the  great  conclusion  to  which  we  are  ir- 
resistibly led  by  the  plain  teachings  of  reason  and 
the  authoritative  instructions  of  Scripture  truth. 
God  had  a  purpose  in  the  creation  of  man — that 
purpose  was  purely  benevolent  and  gracious — and 
he  saw  and  declared  its  accomplishment  from  the 
beginning  of  the  world, — and  though  heaven  and 
earth  should  pass  away,  the  sure  word  of  our  God 
will  never  fail ! 

Should  an  objector  on  receiving  the  foregoing 
argument,  allege  that  man  is  d.  free-agent,  he  is  in- 
formed that  we  shall  not  dispute  that  matter  with 
him,  because  we  are  unable  to  perceive  that  it  has 
any  proper  connexion  with  the  subject  which  we 
have  attempted  to  discuss.  Suppose  man  to  be 
perfectly  free — more  free  by  far  than  the  winds  of 
heaven  which  blow  where  they  list,  does  it  hence 
follow  that  the  benevolent  purpose  of  God  in  the 
creation  of  man,  and  his  certain  knowledge  and 
positive  declaration  of  the  execution  or  fulfilment 
of  that  purpose  must  to  any  extent  be  rendered 
void  ?  It  does  not  so  appear  to  our  minds.  And 
we  have  never  yet  heard  anything  like  a  plausible 
3* 


30    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

reason  to  justify  the  belief  that  God  has  bestowed, 
upon  any  of  his  creatures  a  freedom  or  a  power, 
by  the  agency  of  which  his  own  purposes  will  at  last 
be  defeated  !  We  trust  that  no  such  calamity  will 
ever  occur.  The  God  of  salvation,  "  who  only 
hath  immortality,"  will  never  be  baffled  in  his 
plans;  nor  do  we  fear  that  his  best  purposes  will 
ever  be*,  frustrated  by  an  agency  which  he  him- 
self has  bestowed  upon  man.  And  though  there- 
is  a  strange  propensity  in  some  persons  to  fly  from 
every  subject  into  wild  and  extravagant  notions' 
about  the  uncontrollable  power  o(  human  beings, 
we  are  satisfied  to  believe  upon  the  authority  of  the 
Scriptures,  that  God's  counsel  shall  stand,  and  that 
he  will  do  all  his  pleasure. 

We  therefore  rest  in  the  assurance,  and  rejoice 
with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  in  the  belief^ 
that  God  will  never  abandon  any  of  the  works  of 
his  hands,  or  become  the  foe  of  any  of  his  crea- 
tures ;  but  that  he  will  continue  the  operations  of 
his  saving  power  and  his  redeeming  grace,  until 
"every  knee  shall  bow  and  every  tongue  shall 
swear,  surely  shall  say,  T?i  the  Lord  have  I  righte- 
ousness and  strength!^' 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD. 

We  have  already  shown  that  the  entire  work 
of  creation,  as  it  came  from  the  forming  hand  of 
the  Almighty,  was  very  good.  Every  thing  was 
made  according  to  his  own  will — or,  to  adopt  the 
language  of  Scripture,  ke  created  all  things  for  his 
own  pleasure.  There  was  purpose  or  design  in 
the  Divine  Mind  in  all  the  productions  of  creative 
power — and  every  thing  was  pronounced  very 
good,  because  it  was  clearly  foreseen  and  perfectly 
understood  that  God  would  be  glorified  by  all,  and 
through,  and  in  all  the  works  of  his  hands. 

But  the  progenitor  of  our  race  did  not  long  con- 
tinue in  his  primitive  state  of  innocence.  Sin  and 
suffering  soon  entered  into  the  world ;  and  they 
have  ever  since  been  the  common  lot  of  humanity, 
and  the  great  scourge  of  our  whole  race.  Did  evil 
come  into  the  world  by  accident?  Was  it  in  no 
sense  embraced  or  contemplated  in  the  original 
plans  of  divine  wisdom?  Has  its  existence  de- 
ranged the  schemes  of  the  Almighty  ?  And  will 
its  unhappy  consequences  be  as  enduring  as  God's 
own  being  ?  These  are  questions  demanding  our 
most  careful  and  serious  consideration.  And  we 
think  they  may  all  be  resolved  into  this  one  simple 
question,  How,  or  by  what  means  did  sin  enter 
into  the  world  ?     But  before  directly  attempting  to 

31 


32   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

consider  this  question,  we  desire  to  have  it  well 
understood  that  we  believe  without  a  doubt  that 
God  intended  from  the  first  that  sin  and  suffering 
should  exist  in  this  world.  We  are  fully  convinced 
that  our  present  life,  which  is  only  the  incipient 
state  of  our  existence,  was  intended  as  a  state  in 
which  man  should  be  the  creature  oi  hope,  looking 
onward  to  a  better  country,  even  a  heavenly.  Man 
in  his  original  state,  formed  of  the  perishable  dust 
of  the  ground,  was  not  fitted  for  a  perpetual  exist- 
ence without  a  change  of  state.  Here  in  this 
world  he  was  to  be  "compassed  with  infirmity" — 
here  he  was  to  be  subject  to  vanity,  and  the  child 
of  sorrow  and  pain — and  here  in  this  earthly  taber- 
nacle he  was  to  groan,  being  burdened,  "  earnestly 
desiring  to  be  clothed  upon  with  our  house  which 
is  from  heaven."  Hence  we  find  that  as  soon  as 
sin  had  entered  into  the  world  and  man  began  to 
experience  its  sorrows,  the  gracious  promise  was 
given  that  evil  should  be  subdued  and  destroyed. 
iflope  was  thus  early  encouraged  in  the  human 
heart.  And  from  that  time  to  the  present,  it  has 
been  strictly  true  in  regard  to  our  existence,  that 

"Hope  springs  eternal  in  the  human  breast, 
Man  never  is,  but  always  to  be  blest." 

It  may  be  thought  quite  impossible  for  us  to 
determine  with  any  tolerable  degree  of  probability 
how  sin  first  entered  into  the  world.  Man  was 
created  without  sin,  and  by  his  Maker  pronounced 
very  good.  How  then  came  this  pure  creature, 
inheriting  no  depravity,  and  influenced  by  no 
evil  examples,  to  commit  sin,  and  thus  to  bring 
dreadful  and  lasting  sufferings  upon  the  world  ? 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE   WORLD.    33 

An  eminent  theologian  has  said,  "  That  man  is  in 
^fallen  state,  certainly  needs  no  argument  to  prove 
it :  the  history  of  the  world,  with  that  of  the  life 
and  miseries  of  every  human  being,  establish  this 
point  beyond  successful  contradiction.  But  how 
and  by  what  agency  was  this  brought  about? 
Here  is  a  great  mystery  ;  and  I  may  appeal  to  all 
persons  who  have  read  the  various  comments  that 
have  been  written  on  the  Mosaic  account,  whether 
they  have  ever  yet  been  satisfied  on  this  part  of 
the  subject,  though  convinced  of  the  fact  itself. 
Who  was  the  Serpent  ?  Of  what  kind^  in  what 
ivay  did  he  seduce  the  first  happy  pair?  These 
are  questions  which  remain  yet  to  be  answered^ 
Clarke. 

Now  we  shall  not  deny  that  this  author  felt  him- 
self altogether  unable  to  solve  the  several  questions 
here  proposed.  But  we  are  persuaded  that  the 
inexplicable  mystery  of  which  he  speaks,  does  not 
properly  belong  to  the  subject  itself,  but  rather  to 
errors  and  inconsistencies  involved  in  his  own 
creed.  And  though  we  claim  no  special  revelation, 
nor  superior  abilities,  by  the  aid  of  which  we  are 
enabled  to  unlock  the  deep  mysteries  that  have 
puzzled  abler  minds,  we  still  believe  that  the 
whole  subject,  when  set  free  from  all  unauthorized 
constructions,  will  admit  of  an  easy  and  a  rational 
exposition.  We  shall  be  guided  in  our  investiga- 
tions by  the  teachings  of  the  Bible,  explained  con- 
sistently with  reason,  comparing  Scripture  with 
Scripture.  And  instead  of  attempting  to  astonish 
the  reader  with  some  fanciful  theory,  which  nobody 
can  understand,  and  which  must  fail  to  satisfy  the 


34  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

inquiring  mind,  we  shall  aim  at  nothing  but  the 
truth. 

It  may  be  well  to  remark  in  this  place,  that  a 
distinction  should  be  drawn  between  physical  evil 
and  what  we  call  moral  evil,  and  also  between  the 
causes  from  which  they  proceed.  The  former  is 
endured  in  common  by  all  creatures  that  bear  an 
earthly  nature — while  the  latter,  being  the  effect  of 
sin,  is  exclusively  confined  to  intellectual  and 
accountable  beings.  Tlie  irrational  brute  experi- 
ences suffering — but  it  knows  nothing  of  moral 
responsibility — it  stands  amenable  to  no  moral  law 
— and  it  cannot,  therefore,  be  the  subject  of  penal 
retribution.  But  the  subject  of  our  present  inquiry 
relates  to  moral  evil  or  sin,  and  to  the  cause  by 
which  it  was  first  produced  in  the  world.  We 
may  incidentally  remark,  however,  that  the  physi- 
cal nature  and  constitution  of  man  seem  not  to 
have  been  affected  in  the  least  by  the  first  trans- 
gression. He  required  the  same  bodily  nourishment, 
and  was  subject  to  the  operations  of  the  same 
general  laws,  after  having  sinned,  as  before.  He 
was  originally  fitted  to  be  an  active,  laborious 
being — for  before  he  had  eaten  of  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  or  in  other  words, 
before  he  had  known  the  difference  between  good 
and  evil  by  actual  experience,  "  the  Lord  God  took 
the  man,  and  put  him  in  the  garden  of  Eden,  to 
dress  it,  and  to  keep  it.''  Gen.  ii.  15.  Hence  it  is 
easily  perceived  that  before  man  had  sinned,  he 
was  not  only  fitted  but  actually  commanded  to  toil. 
His  original  nature,  which  we  think,  has  never 
been  radically  changed,  required  for  its  proper 
exercise  and  health  all  that  is  now  necessary.     The 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  JJiN  INTO  THE   WORLD.   35 

change  which  the  first  man  experienced  on  the  day 
of  transgression,  was  purely  of  a  moral  nature.  He 
fell  from  a  state  of  purity  and  innocence  into  the 
guilt  and  misery  of  sin.  He  thus  became  subject 
to  the  influence  of  a  law  which  he  had  not  before 
known,  the  law  of  sin,  which  is  now  in  our  mem- 
bers. And,  we  repeat,  that  our  present  concern  is, 
to  ascertain  what  caused  the  first  sin,  and  how  it 
originated  in  the  world. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  soar  upon  the  wings  of 
imagination  to  distant  worlds,  and  to  amuse  the 
reader  with  some  curious  speculation,  which  God 
never  revealed  nor  man  understood.  "  The  poet's 
eye  in  a  fine  frenzy  rolling,"  has  already  seen 
strange  wonders  in  this  subject,  and  tasked  his 
genius  to  the  utmost  to  set  them  forth  in  all  the 
unreal  grandeur  of  fanciful  creations — but  all  this 
without  yielding  any  satisfaction  to  the  sober  and 
candid  mind.  The  subject  is  involved  in  greater 
mystery  and  obscurity  since  the  poetic  fancy  of  a 
Milton  followed  the  falls  and  flights  and  mischie- 
vous freaks  of  the  Prince  of  Darkness,  and  at  last 
charged  upon  him  the  crime  of  blasting  all  the  joys 
of  Eden  with  the  deadly  and  accursed  fruits  of  sin. 
And  we  shall  not  expect  to  pursue  the  wild  vaga- 
ries of  dreaming  poets,  any  further  than  it  may 
seem  necessary  to  explode  such  relics  of  their 
fancies  as  still  serve  to  mislead  and  bewilder  the 
minds  of  those  who  are  most  fond  of  marvellous 
things  which  they  cannot  understand. 

Milton  pretended  that  the  whole  subject  was 
most  clearly  revealed  in  the  Scriptures.  But  his 
notion  seems  to  require  far  more  explanation  than 


36  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

the  Scripture  account  itself.     He  says,  addressing 
the  Spirit, 

"Say  first,  for  Heav'n  hides  nothing  from  thy  view, 
Nor  the  deep  tract  of  Hell,  say  first  what  cause 
Mov'd  our  grand  parents,  in  that  happy  state, 
Favor'd  of  Heav'n  so  highly,  to  fall  off 
From  their  Creator,  and  transgress  his  will, 
For  one  restraint,  lords  of  the  world  besides  1 
Th'  infernal  Serpent ,-  he  it  was,  whose  guile, 
Stirr'd  up  with  envy  and  revenge,  deceiv'd 
The  mother  of  mankind,  what  time  his  pride 
Had  cast  him  out  from  Heav'n,  with  all  his  host 
^      Of  rebel  angels,  by  whose  aid  aspiring 
To  set  himself  in  glory  above  his  peers, 
He  trusted  to  have  equall'd  the  Most  High, 
If  he  oppos'd;  and,  with  ambitious  aim, 
Against  the  throne  and  monarchy  of  God 
Rais'd  impious  war  in  Heav'n  and  battle  proud. 
With  vain  attempt." 

Here  the  inspiring  Spirit  is  represented  as  declar- 
ing the  cause  and  the  manner  of  the  first  sin  in  the 
world,  showing  that  a  former  inhabitant  of  heaven, 
having  vainly  made  war  against  God,  was  hurled 
headlong  from  his  high  and  glorious  abode — and 
that  in  order  to  revenge  himself,  he  craftily  seduced 
the  first  unsuspecting  pair  of  the  human  family. 
But  we  shall  find  on  examination  that  this  view  of 
the  subject  is  attended  with  insuperable  difficulties, 
and  is  not  only  destitute  of  all  support  in  the  word 
of  God,  but  positively  ridiculous  and  absurd. 

From  time  immemorial  the  most  discordant  and 
contradictory  opinions  have  been  entertained  in 
regard  to  the  origin  of  evil  and  the  cause  of  sin. 
Many  of  the  ancients  supposed  that  there  were  two 
eternal  and  opposing  principles  in  the  universe,  the 
one  good  and  the  other  evil — and  that  from  their 


THE   INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  IIVTO  THE  WORLD.    37 

conflicting  powers  and  final  admixture  the  present 
heterogeneous  state  of  things  was  produced.  This 
opinion  was  held  by  the  Magians,  a  sect  among 
the  ancient  Persians — and  also  in  the  third  century 
of  the  present  era  by  the  Manicheans,  a  very  sin- 
gular class  of  religionists,  who  claimed  to  be  Chris- 
tians. 

But  the  famous  Zoroaster,  who  flourished  more 
than  five  hundred  years  before  Christ,  perceiving 
the  gross  and  palpable  absurdity  of  admitting  the 
existence  of  two  first  causes,  undertook  the  task  of 
reforming  the  established  religion  of  the  Magians. 
He  introduced  into  his  system  a  god  superior  to 
both  in  which  his  predecessors  had  believed,  and 
traced  the  causes  of  all  good  and  of  all  evil  to  the 
agency  of  subordinate  beings.  "  In  short,  Zoroaster 
held  that  there  was  one  supreme  independent 
Being,  and  under  him  two  principles,  or  angels ; 
one  the  angel  of  light  or  good,  and  the  other 
the  angel  of  evil  or  darkness;  that  there  is  a 
perpetual  struggle  between  them,  which  shall  last 
to  the  end  of  the  world ;  that  then  the  angel  of 
darkness  and  his  disciples  shall  go  into  a  world  of 
their  own,  where  they  shall  be  punished  in  ever- 
lasting darkness;  and  the  angel  of  light  and  his 
disciples  shall  go  into  a  world  of  their  own,  where 
they  shall  be  rewarded  with  everlasting  light." 
Prideaux  says  of  Zoroaster,  "  To  avoid  making 
God  the  author  of  evil,  his  doctrine  was,  that  God 
originally  and  directly  created  only  light  or  good, 
and  that  darkness  or  evil  followed  it  by  consequence, 
as  the  shadow  doth  the  person ;  that  light  or  good 
had  only  a  real  production  from  God,  and  the  other 
afterwards  resulted  from  it,  as  the  defect  thereof." 
4 


The  ancient  theories  to  which  we  have  thus 
referred  might  have  appeared  to  their  beHevers  to 
account  most  satisfactorily  for  the  origin  of  evil. 
They  who  beheved  in  the  existence  of  two  eternal 
and  opposing  principles,  the  one  good  and  the 
other  evil,  would  very  naturally  attribute  the  intro- 
duction of  sin  into  the  world  to  the  influence  of  the 
latter.  And  they  who  held  to  the  existence  of  two 
subordinate  principles  under  the  Supreme  power, 
would  in  like  manner  charge  the  evil  of  sin  upon 
the  angel  of  darkness. 

But  these  old  theories,  absurd  as  we  all  agree  in 
pronouncing  them,  conceived  in  the  ignorance  of 
heathenism,  and  brought  forth  in  an  age  and  country 
of  spiritual  darkness,  were  not  half  so  inconsistent 
and  preposterous  as  the  notion  which  now  gene- 
rally obtains  in  regard  to  the  origin  of  sin.  In 
these  days  it  is  commonly  believed  that  sin  did  not 
originate  in  this  world,  but  that  it  existed  before 
the  creation  of  the  human  race,  and  was  trans- 
planted here  by  an  evil  being  who  once  lived  in 
the  perfection  of  holiness  and  in  the  regions  of 
celestial  light  and  glory  !  We  are  then  by  this 
strange  hypothesis  directed  to  a  far  distant  region, 
and  to  a  period  j)rior  to  the  creation  of  the  world, 
to  find  the  origin  of  sin. 

Now  when  we  consider  the  utter  silence  of  the 
Mosaic  history  in  regard  to  any  thing  of  this  kind, 
it  seems  almost  unaccountable  that  persons  who 
profess  to  be  guided  by  the  Scriptures  should  trace 
the  beginning  of  evil  to  the  very  abodes  of  immacu- 
late purity,  and  to  the  most  perfect  and  holy  beings 
that  ever  adorned  the  Creator's  works  !  Why  not 
be  more  consistent,  and  rather  suppose  that  evil 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE   WORLD.    39 

came  from  some  region  of  darkness  and  foul  pollu- 
tion ?  It  is  presumed  that  no  person  now  really 
believes  that  the  Scriptures  plainly  teach  that  sin 
received  its  birth  in  heaven.  And  in  the  formation 
of  opinions  without  express  authority — where  the 
mind  has  full  scope  to  act  without  restraint,  why 
not  fancy  something  more  compatible  with  reason 
and  the  nature  of  things  ?  The  supposition  seems 
both  shocking  and  absurd  that  the  very  opposite 
of  holiness  should  start  into  being  nearest  the  great 
Fountain  of  purity  and  love !  If  the  scene  had 
been  laid  in  any  other  part  of  the  vast  domains  of 
the  universal  empire,  and  among  any  other  beings 
than  those  which  surround  the  throne  of  the  im- 
maculate God,  the  theory  in  question  would  seem 
less  preposterous. 

Where^  in  all  the  record  of  God's  truth  can  there 
be  found  any  thing  to  favor  such  a  notion  ?  Who 
dare  affirm  that  in  the  whole  history  of  the  first 
temptation  and  sin  in  the  world,  Moses  gives  the 
slightest  intimation  that  sin  began  its  existence  in 
heaven,  and  was  begotten  in  man  through  the 
agency  of  an  immortal  being,  who  forfeited  heaven 
by  his  own  rebellion  and  wickedness  ?  And  if  the 
sacred  historian  has  said  nothing  of  the  kind,  who 
is  authorized  to  assert  that  such  must  be  his  mean- 
ing? And  as  to  o^^er  portions  of  the  Scriptures, 
they  not  only  agree  with  the  account  given  by 
Moses,  but  positively  state  through  whose  instru- 
mentality sin  was  first  brought  into  the  world. 
The  apostle  Paul  says  plainly,  "By  one  man  sin 
entered  into  the  world."  Rom.  v.  12.  It  was  by 
no  superhuman  being — no  former  inhabitant  of 
heaven — but  by  man. 


We  need  not  therefore  travel  one  step  beyond 
the  creation  of  man  to  find  the  origin  of  that  evil 
which  has  corrupted  the  fountains  of  human  happi- 
ness through  every  generation  of  our  sinful  race. 
And  we  might  now  proceed  at  once  to  offer  a 
plain  scriptural  exposition  of  our  subject.  But  a 
word  further  touching  the  more  common  opinion 
seems  to  be  demanded. 

Suppose  then  that  we  admit  that  the  first  sin  was 
committed  by  a  holy  angel  in  heaven,  and  came 
through  his  wicked  devices  into  this  world.  The 
question  will  arise  in  the  inquisitive  mind,  What 
caused  that  angel  to  sin?  All  must  admit  that  no 
being  ever  sins  except  through  the  influence  of 
temptation.  There  must  therefore  have  been  some 
outward  temptation  in  heaven,  or  else  some  evil 
passion  within  the  first  sinner  to  instigate  to  wick- 
edness— otherwise  that  angel  could  not  have  sinned. 
If  there  was  outward  temptation,  heaven  could  not 
have  been  a  holy  place — and  if  there  were  sinful 
passions  within,  that  angel  could  not  have  been  an 
immaculate  being.  Nay,  if  that  angel  had  been 
perfect  and  holy,  what  possible  influence  could 
temptation  of  any  kind  have  exerted  over  his  mind? 
And  if  sin  did  once  exist  in  heaven,  who  can  say 
that  it  may  not  again,  and  finally  pervade  and 
depopulate  the  whole  place  ? 

These  questions  are  here  proposed  to  excite  a 
spirit  of  inquiry  in  the  minds  of  those  who  have 
not  yet  fully  examined  the  subject  under  conside- 
ration. And  though  they  may  be  very  familiar  to 
many  minds,  there  are  others  who  are  not  fully 
aware  of  the   many  and   insuperable  difficulties 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE   WORLD.    41 

involved  in  the  more  common  view  of  the  first 
temptation  and  sin. 

But  we  shall  be  told  that  both  Peter  and  Jude 
speak  of  fallen  angels.  The  fact  is  not  denied. 
But  it  should  be  well  understood  that  neither  of 
them  has  made  any  wonderful  disclosure  about 
the  fall  of  celestial  beings /rom  heaven  to  the  earth 
— to  hell — or  to  any  other  place.  We  believe  in 
the  existence  of  angels,  in  the  common  acceptation 
of  the  term — that  is  to  say,  we  believe  in  a  superior 
order  of  beings  called  angels.  But  the  simple  word 
angel  is  nevertheless  expressive  of  office,  and  does 
not  therefore  necessarily  signify  a  superhuman 
being.  The  angels  of  the  seven  churches  of  Asia, 
mentioned  in  the  Book  of  Revelation,  were  the 
ministers  of  those  churches,  and  consequently  men 
in  the  flesh.  And  some  of  those  angels,  messen- 
gers or  ministers,  fell  from  their  first  estate,  and 
were  drowned  in  the  destruction  and  perdition  of 
ungodly  men  ! 

But  we  shall  search  the  Scriptures  in  vain  for 
the  account  of  a  celestial  being  who  once  fell  from 
heaven,  and  afterwards  brought  sin  to  the  abodes 
of  man.  Both  Peter  and  Jude,  in  discoursing  upon 
other  subjects,  incidentally  refer  to  unfaithful 
angels  or  messengers,  who  were  deposed  and  pun- 
ished for  their  wickedness.  And  they  make  the 
reference  as  though  the  subject  was  well  under- 
stood— and  not  as  if  they  were  declaring  some  new 
and  wonderful  revelation.  And  we  may  carefully 
examine  the  whole  Bible  from  the  first  of  Genesis 
to  the  last  of  Revelations,  without  finding  any  thing 
to  contradict  the  fact  stated  by  St.  Paul,  namely, 
that  sin  entered  into  the  world  by  man. 
4* 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD. 

(continued.) 

Having  shown  that  the  Scriptures  date  the 
commencement  of  sin  in  this  ivorld,  and  declare 
that  it  entered  by  man,  we  are  now  prepared  to 
show  hoiv  man  was  tempted,  and  how  sin  origi- 
nated. When  Adam  was  created  and  placed  in 
that  state  of  innocence  represented  by  the  garden  of 
Eden,  he  was  allowed  freely  to  partake  of  the  fruit 
of  every  tree  of  the  garden,  save  that  ''of  the  tree 
of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil."  The  man 
was  acquainted  with  good  in  his  primitive  state  of 
innocence.  And  the  prohibition  of  God  was  that 
he  should  avoid  that  course  of  conduct  which  would 
give  him  the  knowledge  of  evil  as  well  as  of  good. 
Such,  we  suppose,  is  what  was  meant  by  "  the  tree 
of  the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil." 

Let  us  here  then  present  the  entire  Scripture 
account  of  the  first  temptation  and  sin.  "  Now  the 
serpent  was  more  subtle  than  any  beast  of  the  field 
which  the  Lord  God  had  made :  and  he  said  unto 
the  woman,  Yea,  hath  God  said,  Ye  shall  not  eat 
of  every  tree  of  the  garden  ?  And  the  woman  said 
unto  the  serpent.  We  may  eat  of  the  fruit  of  the 
trees  of  the  garden :  But  of  the  fruit  of  the  tree 
which  is  in  the  midst  of  the  garden,  God  hath  said, 
42 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD.    43 

Ye  shall  not  eat  of  it,  neither  shall  ye  touch  it,  lest 
ye  die.  And  the  serpent  said  unto  the  woman, 
Ye  shall  not  surely  die :  for  God  doth  know,  that 
in  the  day  ye  eat  thereof,  then  your  eyes  shall  be 
opened ;  and  ye  shall  be  as  gods,  knowing  good 
and  evil.  And  when  the  woman  saw  that  the  tree 
was  good  for  food,  and  that  it  was  pleasant  to  the 
eyes,  and  a  tree  to  be  desired  to  make  one  wise, 
she  took  of  the  fruit  thereof,  and  did  eat ;  and  gave 
also  unto  her  husband  with  her,  and  he  did  eat. 
And  the  eyes  of  them  both  were  opened,  and  they 
knew  that  they  were  naked :  and  they  sewed  fig 
leaves  together,  and  made  themselves  aprons.  And 
they  heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord  God  walking  in 
the  garden  in  the  cool  of  the  day :  and  Adam  and 
his  wife  hid  themselves  from  the  presence  of  the 
Lord  God  amongst  the  trees  of  the  garden.  And 
the  Lord  God  called  unto  Adam,  and  said  unto  him, 
Where  art  thou  ?  And  he  said  ;  I  heard  thy  voice 
in  the  garden,  and  I  was  afraid,  because  I  was 
naked  ;  and  I  hid  myself.  And  he  said,  who  told 
thee  that  thou  wast  naked  ?  Hast  thou  eaten  of  the 
tree,  whereof  I  commanded  thee  that  thou  shouldst 
not  eat?  And  the  man  said,  The  woman,  whom 
thou  gavest  to  be  with  me,  she  gave  me  of  the  tree, 
and  I  did  eat.  And  the  Lord  God  said  unto  the 
woman,  What  is  this  that  thou  hast  done  ?  And 
the  woman  said.  The  serpent  beguiled  me  and  I 
did  eat.''     Gen.  iii.  1-13. 

Here  then  we  have  the  history  and  the  whole 
history  of  the  first  temptation  and  sin  of  man.  And 
here  let  the  question  be  candidly  considered.  Is 
there  in  this  whole  account  even  an  intimation 
concerning  a  superhuman  and  an  immortal  being. 


44  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OP  THE  BIBLE. 

who  fell  from  the  regions  of  celestial  light  and 
glory,  and  brought  sin  into  this  world  ?  We  feel 
confident  that  every  candid  and  unprejudiced  per- 
son will  at  once  answer,  there  is  surely  nothing 
here  to  favor  any  such  notion.  And,  suffer  us  to 
say,  that  it  is  from  what  Moses  has  said  that  we 
are  to  learn  his  meaning — and  not  from  what  he 
has  not  said  ! 

But  some  person  may  feel  disposed  to  inquire 
whether  we  really  suppose  that  a  literal  serpent 
conversed  with  the  woman,  and  beguiled  her  to 
sin.  Our  answer  is,  that  we  do  not.  But  in  Scrip- 
ture language  we  find  that  the  serpent  is  used  as 
an  emblem  or  a  hieroglyphic  of  wisdom.  This  fact 
is  manifest  from  the  command  of  our  Lord  to  his 
apostles, — "  Behold,  I  send  you  forth  in  the  midst  of 
wolves ;  be  ye  therefore  wise  as  serpents,  and 
harmless  as  doves.'^  And  a  very  slight  attention 
to  the  teachings  of  the  Bible  will  show  that  it 
speaks  of  two  entirely  different  kinds  of  wisdom. 
St.  James  says,  Epis.  iii.  13-17,  "Who  is  a  wise 
man  and  endued  with  knowledge  amongst  you? 
let  him  shew  out  of  a  good  conversation  his  works 
with  meekness  of  wisdom.  But  if  ye  have  bitter 
envying  and  strife  in  your  hearts,  glory  not,  and 
lie  not  against  the  truth.  This  wisdom  descendeth 
not  from  above,  but  is  earthly,  sensual,  devilish. 
For  where  envying  and  strife  is,  there  is  confusion 
and  every  evil  work.  But  the  wisdom  that  is  from 
above  is  first  pure,  then  peaceable,  gentle,  and  easy 
to  be  entreated,  full  of  mercy  and  good  fruits,  with- 
out partiality,  and  without  hypocrisy."  Here  we 
perceive  the  opposite  characters  of  these  two  kinds 
of  wisdom.     The  one  is  pure  and  heavenly,  and 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD.   45 

produces  good  fruits — and  the  other  is  sensual  and 
devilish,  and  leads  to  confusion  and  every  evil 
work. 

Now  let  the  fact  be  well  considered  that  Moses 
had  declared,  before  recording  the  introduction  of 
sin  into  the  world,  that  the  serpent  was  more  sub- 
tle, that  is,  sly,  artful  and  cunning  than  any  beast 
of  the  field.  The  serpent  was  therefore  the  fittest 
emblem  that  could  possibly  have  been  chosen  to  re- 
present the  deceitfulness  of  that  earthly  and  sensual 
wisdom  which  has  ever  been  the  /ew/j^ez-of  man,and 
which  originates  in  the  lusts  of  the  flesh.  St.  Paul 
speaks  of  "  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt  according 
to  the  deceitful  lusis.'^  Ephes.  iv.  22.  None  can 
doubt  that  our  first  parents  were  deceived  into  trans- 
gression through  the  influence  of  temptation.  And 
we  feel  justified  in  concluding  that  they  were 
deceived  by  their  own  earthly  and  sensual  lusts. 
For,  whatever  may  be  said  of  the  immortal  and  sin- 
less nature  of  Adam,  in  his  original  state,  we  read 
that  he  was  made  of  the  dust  of  the  ground.  He 
was  at  first  constituted  with  an  earthly  nature — 
and  in  that  nature  there  were  earthly  feelings  and 
passions  that  gave  birth  to  sin. 

And  in  view  of  these  simple  facts,  the  following 
testimony  of  St.  James  on  the  subject  of  temptation 
and  sin  is  perfectly  intelligible  to  every  capacity  : — 
"Let  no  man  say  when  he  is  tempted,  I  am 
tempted  of  God :  for  God  cannot  be  tempted  with 
evil,  neither  tempteth  he  any  man  :  but  every  man 
is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  of  his  own  lust, 
and  enticed.  Then  when  lust  hath  conceived,  it 
bringeth  forth  sin :  and  sin  when  it  is  finished, 
bringeth  forth  death."     James  i.  13-15.     Here  is 


46   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

the  very  same  tempter  of  which  Moses  speaks 
under  the  similitude  of  a  serpent — the  lusts  of  the 
flesh.  "  Every  man  is  tempted  ivhen  he  is  drawn 
away  of  his  own  lusts  and  enticed.^^  And  being 
made  of  the  dust  of  the  ground,  with  an  earthly 
nature,  Adam  felt  within  him  the  workings  of  lust, 
and  yielded  to  its  deceitful  influence.  Jind  by  this 
one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world. 

St.  Paul  says,  1st  Tim.  ii.  14,  "The  woman 
being  deceived  was  in  the  transgression."  And 
the  nature  of  that  deception  which  caused  our  first 
parents  to  transgress  the  command  of  their  Maker, 
is  easily  understood.  God  charged  them  neither 
to  eat  nor  to  touch  the  tree  in  the  midst  of  the 
garden.  Nay,  he  positively  declared  of  the  tree  of 
the  knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  ''for  in  the  day 
that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou  shalt  surely  die.^^  To 
eat  of  this  forbidden  tree  we  believe  was  to  learn 
the  diflerence  between  good  and  evil  by  actual 
experience.  And  God  forewarned  Adam  that  in 
the  very  day  that  he  committed  evil  he  should 
surely  die.  The  threatened  death  would  certainly 
come,  and  be  experienced  immediately. 

What  then  was  the  deceitful  suggestion  of  the 
tempter?  *<  Ye  shall  not  .fwre/y  die" — the  threat- 
ened penalty  maij  not  be  executed — "  ye  shall  be 
as  gods  knowing  good  and  evil" — ye  shall  find  a 
pleasant  and  desirable  fruit,  and  enjoy  happiness 
in  sin — and  as  ye  shall  not  surely  die,  according  to 
the  declaration  of  God,  peradventure  you  may  for- 
ever escape  the  death  that  has  been  denounced. 

Such  was  the  device  of  the  tempter,  of  which 
"  every  man  is  tempted  when  he  is  drawn  away  of 
his  own  lust,  and  enticed."     But  God's  word  was 


THE  INTRODUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD.   47 

true — and  in  the  very  day  of  transgression  Adam 
experienced  the  most  distressing  guilt  and  fear  and 
shame,  and  sought  to  hide  himself  from  the  pres- 
ence of  his  Maker.  Death  to  innocence,  and  death 
in  sin  speedily  came  upon  him,  "  For  the  wages  of 
sin  is  death,'' ^  and  *'  to  be  carnally  minded  is  death.^^ 

As  to  the  particular  act  that  constituted  the  first 
offence  of  man,  we  have  no  means  by  which  to 
determine.  All  we  know  is,  that  it  was  an  act  of 
disobedience  against  the  express  command  of  God. 
It  was,  moreover,  an  act  that  made  man  acquainted 
with  evil,  which  he  had  not  known  before.  And 
that  "  first  disobedience"  was  caused  by  the  feel- 
ings and  appetites  and  passions  with  which  man 
was  created. 

But  we  shall  be  charged  with  making  God  him- 
self the  author  of  sin,  because  we  hold  that  he 
created  man  with  that  earthly  nature  and  those 
lustful  passions  which  seduced  him  into  the  way  of 
transgression.  It  is,  however,  not  a  little  amusing 
to  hear  our  opposers  bring  a  charge  of  this  kind 
against  us.  They  surely  do  not  look  very  far  into 
the  nature  of  things.  And  let  us  inquire  for  a 
moment  how  the  matter  stands  in  regard  to  their 
own  creed.  They  believe  that  God  created  a 
celestial  being,  who  sinned  in  heaven  with  no  other 
being  to  tempt  him — and  we  believe  that  God 
created  a  man,  who  sinned  on  earth  with  no  other 
being  to  tempt  him.  And  pray,  where  is  the  great 
difference  between  us  with  respect  to  God  ?  Why 
should  we,  any  more  than  they  themsel  ves  be  charged 
with  making  God  the  author  of  sin  ?  If  sin  com- 
menced in  heaven,  it  is  declared  that  God  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  matter — but  when  we  affirm 


4S  XJNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

that  it  began  on  earth,  and  came  into  the  world  by 
one  man,  we  are  very  gravely  charged  with  ascri- 
bing the  origin  of  sin  to  the  Supreme  Being  him- 
self! A  distinction,  truly,  without  a  difference — 
or  at  least  without  a  difference  that  is  creditable  to 
our  accusers  !  And  it  strikes  our  mind  that  our 
opposers  would  do  well  to  explain  the  difficulty 
involved  in  their  own  doctrine,  before  they  presume 
to  bring  any  railing  accusation  against  ours  ! 

We  hold  that  God  made  the  first  man  of  the 
dust  of  the  ground,  with  a  fleshly  nature  and  a 
mortal  constitution — and  that  the  workings  of  natu- 
ral lust  tempted  and  enticed  Adam  to  sin.  And 
while  we  find  it  expressly  declared,  Rom.  v.  12, 
that  "by  one  man  sin  entered  into  the  world,"  we 
have  never  yet  been  able  to  find  a  passage  of 
Scripture  which  ascribes  the  introduction  of  sin  into 
the  world  to  any  other  being  or  to  any  other  means. 
The  vain  conjectures  of  poetic  fancy  on  this  subject, 
weigh  not  a  feather  in  the  scale  against  the  simple 
truth  taught  in  the  Scriptures,  and  sanctioned  by 
our  own  reason. 

It  was  in  reference  to  the  ancient  Persian  doc- 
trine of  two  creative  powers,  that  the  Lord  said  to 
Cyrus  the  Persian  King,  Isaiah  xlv.  7,  "  I  form  the 
light,  and  create  darkness ;  I  make  peace,  and 
create  evil :  I  the  Lord  do  all  these  things."  This 
address  was  made  to  the  monarch  of  Persia  by  the 
prophet  Isaiah,  as  though  spoken  by  the  Lord  him- 
self. And  if  it  be  wrong  to  ascribe  the  creation  of 
evil  to  God,  Isaiah  was  certainly  liable  to  just  cen- 
sure. But  we  are  satisfied  that  the  prophet  testi- 
fied truly — and  we  are  convinced  beyond  a  doubt 
that  there  is  in  the  universe  but  one  creative  power. 


THE  INTRUDUCTION  OF  SIN  INTO  THE  WORLD.   40 

which  is  God.  Evil  or  sin  was  evidently  contem- 
plated in  the  very  plan  of  creation — for  the  great 
remedy  was  provided  in  the  counsels  of  divine  wis- 
dom before  the  first  man  was  brought  into  existence. 
Hence  Jesus  Christ  is  called  "  the  Lamh  slain  from 
the  foundation  of  theworldP  It  was  provided  from 
the  very  first  that  he  should  be  the  Redeemer  and 
Savior  of  man.  And  if  sin  had  not  entered  into 
the  world,  man  could  never  have  been  the  subject 
of  salvation — the  whole  scheme  of  redemption 
would  have  been  utterly  unmeaning  and  without 
effect — and  we  could  never  sing  praises  to  the 
Lamb  for  having  redeemed  us  from  sin  and  washed 
us  in  his  own  blood  ! 

We  therefore  plainly  perceive  that  the  introduc- 
tion of  sin  into  the  world  was  not  an  accident^  nor 
any  thing  that  was  not  foreseen  and  known  from 
the  beginning.  It  was  necessary  to  the  plan  of 
redemption — for  without  it  there  could  have  been 
no  such  thing  as  redemption.  And  though  we 
cannot  but  deplore  the  reign  of  sin,  we  rejoice  to 
believe  that  God  can  and  will  restrain  its  power — 
and  that  he  will  cause  grace  and  life  through 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  to  abound  far  beyond  all 
sin  and  all  suffering.  It  has  pleased  the  Father 
of  our  spirits  in  his  deep  and  unsearchable  wis- 
dom to  lead  us  through  sufferings  of  an  hour 
to  joys  that  never  end.  And  in  view  of  the 
bright  revelations  of  the  Gospel  concerning  the 
better  life  that  is  to  come,  we  may  well  say  in  the 
language  of  St.  Paul : — "  For  I  reckon  that  the 
sufferings  of  this  present  time  are  not  worthy  to  be 
compared  with  the  glory  which  shall  be  revealed 
•in  us.     For  the  earnest  expectation  of  the  creature 


50  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

waiteth  for  the  manifestation  of  the  sons  of  God. 
For  the  creature  was  made  subject  to  vanity,  not 
willingly,  but  by  reason  of  him  who  hath  subjected 
tlie  same  in  hope  ;  because  the  creature  itself  also 
shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  corruption 
into  tke  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of  God.'' 
Rom.  viii.  18-21. 


CHAPTER   VI. 

THE   FALL  OF  MAN. 

We  have  pursued  our  general  theme  only  so  far 
as  to  ascertain  the  origin  and  the  cause  of  the  first 
sin  in  the  world.  And  we  shall  now  proceed  to 
consider  what  is  commonly  called  "  the  fall  of  man.^' 
This  particular  topic  seems  to  come  next  in  order, 
and  is  certainly  deserving  of  very  careful  exa- 
mination. 

We  have  shown  how  and  by  whom  sin  entered 
into  the  world.  It  entered  through  the  influence 
of  temptation,  originating  in  the  lusts  of  the  flesh — 
and  it  was  committed  by  man.  And  we  are  now 
concerned  to  ascertain  what  were  the  consequences 
resulting  from  the  first  sin  of  man — or,  in  other 
words,  to  examine  the  doctrine  of"  the  fall." 

The  original  constitution  of  man  has  long  been 
a  subject  of  controversy — and  very  contradictory 
opinions  in  reference  thereto  are  still  found  to  pre- 
vail in  the  world.  While  some  persons  hold  that 
man  in  his  primitive  state  was  a  perfect  and  an 
immortal  being,  others  believe  that  he  was  from 
the  beginning  subject  to  vanity  and  liable  to  death. 
And  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  should 
obtain  a  just  understanding  of  what  man  was  at 
first — and  that  we  should  ascertain  what  changes, 
if  any,  were  wrought  in  his  nature  and  constitution 
by  the  influence  of  sin.     These  particulars  may  be 

51 


52    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

regarded  as  holding  an  intimate  connexion  with 
the  objects  of  the  Messiah's  mediations,  and  as 
having  an  important  bearing  upon  the  whole 
Scripture  doctrine  of  salvation.  And  a  missap- 
prehension  in  regard  to  the  actual  condition  in 
which  sin  has  involved  our  race,  may  mislead  the 
mind  on  almost  every  subject  of  revealed  truth. 

Now  notwithstanding  all  that  has  been  said  and 
written  about  "the  fall  of  man,'' and  the  widely 
different  opinions  that  are  held  on  this  subject,  we 
cannot  but  think  that  the  whole  matter,  when  pro- 
perly divested  of  all  fanciful  and  unauthorized  con- 
jectures, will ;  be  found  perfectly^plain  and  easy  to 
be  understood.  And  though  it  may  be  thought 
uncharitable,  we  are  well  persuaded  that,  to  the 
influence  of  venerated  human  creeds,  and  the 
proneness  of  man  to  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his 
fathers,  and  to  support  whatever  is  generally  ap- 
proved, may  be  traced  the  gross  errors  and  glaring 
absurdities  that  now  prevail  in  regard  to  this  very 
simple  subject.  These  false  notions  are  held  by 
those  who  seem  to  think  freely  and  correctly  in 
reference  to  most  other  things.  And  while  we 
hope  ever  to  bow  with  becoming  submission  to  the 
authority  of  God's  word,  we  desire  to  lend  our  aid, 
however  feeble  may  be  our  efforts,  to  bring  men 
into  the  free  exercise  of  reason  and  candor  in  the 
investigation  of  religious  truth. 

Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  from  what  has 
been  said,  that  we  are  prepared  to  defend  all  the 
notions  that  were  peculiar  to  the  Pelagians  of  old. 
But  we  are  not  in  the  least  terrified  by  the  name — 
nor  do  we  fear  to  embrace  and  avow  any  truth, 
because  it  is  taught  by  such  as  have  long   been 


THE    FALL    OF    MAN.  53 

pronounced  heretics.  We  are  not  ashamed  to  ex- 
press the  belief  that  that  ancient  and  much  de- 
spised sect  held  correct  views  relative  to  the  origi- 
nal nature  and  constitution  of  man.  They  believed 
that  Adam  was  by  nature  mortal — and  that  all 
new-born  infants  are  in  the  same  condition  in 
which  he  lived  before  he  had  sinned.  And  if  their 
doctrine  on  this  subject  had  been  opposed  with  no 
other  weapons  than  such  as  are  supplied  by  reason 
and  Scripture,  we  think  it  fair  to  conclude  that  it 
would  have  been  permanently  established  in  the 
days  of  Pelagius  himself  But  being  an  innova- 
tion upon  popular  belief,  it  found  no  favor  in  the 
eyes  of  the  ruling  powers,  but  was  soon  suppressed 
by  the  edicts  of  councils  and  the  terrors  of  penal 
enactments.  There  was  not  independence  enough 
in  the  world  to  maintain  an  unpopular  doctrine, 
known  to  be  compatible  with  reason,  and  sanc- 
tioned by  the  high  authority  of  divine  truth.  Igno- 
rance and  prejudice  ignobly  triumphed — and  the 
arbitrary  decisions  of  popes  and  their  pliant  allies, 
protected  an  error,  which,  without  their  aid,  would 
have  died  in  its  infancy  ! 

In  later  times,  and  where  human  authority  is  not 
exercised  to  the  same  extent  in  matters  of  religious 
beUef,  there  are  still  found  in  operation  sufficient 
causes  to  perpetuate  the  gross  errors  of  darker  ages. 
The  portraiture  of  too  many  theologians  is  exhib- 
ited in  the  character  and  conduct  of  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Paley,  of  whom  his  biographer  has  said, 
"Through  the  whole  course  of  his  life,  Dr.  Paley 
seemed  too  willing  to  support  established  doctrines  ; 
and  to  find  plausible  reasons  for  existing  institu- 
tions ;  even  in  cases  in  which  he  must  have  felt 
5* 


54    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

those  doctrines  to  be  at  variance  with  truth,  and 
those  institutions  in  opposition  to  the  best  interests 
of  mankind.  His  great  and  vigorous  mind  ought 
to  have  disdained  the  paltry  subterfuges  of  disen- 
genuous  subtlety,  and  interested  sophistication." 

We  fear  that  these  censures,  though  very  severe, 
find  a  just  application  in  the  case  of  more  doctors 
than  one.  Excommunication,  with  the  loss  of 
high  honors  and  great  emolument,  has  been  threat- 
ened the  man  who  dares  to  dissent  from  the  esta- 
blished doctrine  of  the  Church  concerning  man's 
original  perfection  and  holiness,  and  his  entire  cor- 
ruption by  "  the  fall."  And  too  many,  alas  !  seem 
willing  to  support  doctrines  known  "  to  be  at  vari- 
ance with  truth,"  rather  than  forfeit  their  high 
standing  in  the  church,  and  the  profits  of  their 
calling.  Hence  the  worst  forms  of  error  are  easily 
perpetuated  when  they  once  become  well  establish- 
ed— and  however  feebly  they  may  be  supported, 
they  are  extremely  difficult  to  be  eradicated. — 
Paley,  dreading  the  loss  of  patronage,  advocated 
the  eternity  of  punishment  for  sin,  which  he  did 
not  believe — and  we  fear  that  many  others,  in  im- 
itation of  his  unworthy  example,  have  concealed 
their  light  under  a  bushel,  and  willingly  sanc- 
tioned the  time-honored  errors  of  human  creeds. — 
But  we  need  not  pursue  this  train  of  thought. 

In  what  is  commonly  called  "  the  fall  of  man," 
we  are  free  to  confess  that  we  have  no  more  faith 
than  we  have  in  the  Koran  of  Mahomet  or  the 
pretended  revelations  of  the  Book  of  Mormon ! 
And  though  we  desire  ever  to  cherish  a  decent  and 
becoming  respect  for  our  opposers  and  their  doc- 
trine, we  still  claim  the  right  of  speaking  in  Ian- 


THE    FALL    OF    MAN.  -  55 

guage  that  may  be  understood.  We  have  no  creed 
of  man's  device  for  our  guide — and  we  feel  per- 
fectly free  to  examine  the  subject  before  us  in  the 
hght  of  reason  and  of  Scripture  truth.  We  beheve 
that  the  nature  of  man — moral  and  physical — is  the 
same  now  as  it  was  when  the  progenitor  of  our 
race  came  from  the  forming  hand  of  his  Creator, 
and  breathed  the  freshness  of  that  spirit  which  con- 
stituted him  *'  a  living  soul.''  And  our  reasons  for 
thus  believing  will  be  given  as  we  proceed. 

But  it  seems  proper  that  we  should  here  exhibit 
a  fair  statement  of  the  common  doctrine  of  "  the 
fall."  It  is  believed,  then,  that  the  entire  nature  and 
constitution  of  man  underwent  a  radical  transfor- 
mation in  consequence  of  the  first  sin  of  our  first 
parents.  And  that  we  may  not  be  suspected  of 
misrepresenting  the  belief  of  our  opposers  in  doc- 
trine, we  shall  quote  from  acknowledged  authority. 
In  the  latest  and  amended  edition  of  the  West- 
minster Assembly's  Catechism,  which  is  now  in 
full  force,  and  which  may  be  considered  as  ranking 
among  the  highest  of  human  authorities,  we  find 
the  following  question  and  answer  : — "  Q.  Wherein 
consists  the  sinfulness  of  that  estate  whereinto  man 
fell?  A.  The  sinfulness  of  that  estate  whereinto  man 
fell,  consists  in  the  guilt  of  Jidam' s  first  sin,  the 
want  of  original  righteousness,  and  the  corruption 
of  his  whole  nature,  which  is  commonly  called  origi- 
nal sin;  together  with  all  actual  transgressionsjwhich 
proceed  from  it."  It  is  also  stated  in  other  creeds, 
and  the  belief  is  quite  common,  that  "the  fall"  de- 
notes "  the  loss  of  those  perfections  and  that  hap- 
piness which  man  received  at  his  creation."  And 
in  presenting  the  evidences  by  which  this  doctrine 


56  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

is  thought  to  be  sustained,  Buck  thus  eloquently 
but  fancifully  discourses:  "i^or  that  man  is  a 
fallen  creature,  is  evident,  if  we  consider  his  mis- 
ery as  an  inhabitant  of  the  natural  world — the  dis- 
orders of  the  globe  we  inhabit,  and  the  dreadful 
scourges  with  which  it  is  visited — the  deplorable 
and  shocking  circumstances  of  our  birth — our  na- 
tural uncleanness,  helplessness,  ignorance,  and 
nakedness — the  gross  darkness  in  which  we  natu- 
rally are  both  with  respect  to  God  and  a  future 
state — the  general  rebellion  of  the  brute  creation 
against  us — the  various  poisons  that  lurk  in  the 
animal,  vegetable,  and  mineral  world,  ready  to 
destroy  us — the  heavy  curse  of  toil  and  sweat  to 
which  we  are  hable — the  innumerable  calamities  of 
life,  and  the  pangs  of  death/'  And  even  Calmet, 
with  all  his  characteristic  moderation  and  good 
sense,  speaks  of  Adam's  hlood  being  poisoned  by 


sin 


Now  in  view  of  the  doctrine  of  "the  fall,"  as 
thus  stated,  let  us  turn  our  attention  to  the  Scrip- 
tures and  see  what  lesson  they  teach  on  this  sub- 
ject. St.  Paul  says,  Rom.  viii.  20,  "  For  the  crea- 
ture was  made  subject  to  vanity."  And  having 
been  thus  created,  man  was  from  the  beginning 
liable  to  deception  and  to  sin,  as  the  history  of 
Adam  abundantly  proves,  and  as  we  shall  yet 
plainly  show.  And  it  will  also  appear,  as  we  have 
before  stated,  that  man  was  originally  intended  to 
be  the  creature  of  hope  in  this  world,  looking  for- 
ward to  "  a  better  country,  even  a  heavenly."  A 
slight  examination  of  the  connexion  of  the  pas- 
sage before  us,  will  show  that  by  the  creature  the 
apostle  means  the  same  as  by  "  the  whole  creation" 


THE     FALL    OF    MAN.  57 

in  a  subsequent  verse.  Indeed  the  expressions  are 
the  same  in  the  original  text.  And  to  our  mind  it 
obviously  appears  that  the  writer  treats  of  the  ori- 
ginal creation  of  man,  and  not  of  something  that 
subsequently  happened.  That  he  speaks  of  the 
creation  of  man,  and  not  of  some  other  order  of 
beings,  is  too  evident  to  admit  of  reasonable  doubt. 
For  the  very  same  creature  that  was  made  subject 
to  vanity,  was  also  made  the  subject  of  hope — and 
the  reason  assigned  is  "  because  the  creature  itself 
also  shall  be  delivered  from  the  bondage  of  cor- 
ruption into  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  children  of 
God.'' 

And  that  man  was  not  thus  subjected  to  vanity 
by  reason  of  his  own  choice,  or  on  account  of  any 
doings  of  his  own,  is  sufficiently  proved  by  the 
declaration,  "For  the  creature  was  made  subject 
to  vanity,  not  willingly.^^  It  was  not  a  matter  of 
choice  on  the  part  of  man — for  he  could  have  had 
no  volition  before  hej  was  created — but  it  was  done 
by  that  great  and  good  Being  who  has  encouraged 
us  to  hofe  that  we  shall  at  last  be  delivered  from 
this  state  of  vanity,  and  from  all  the  corruptions 
and  sufferings  of  mortality  ! 

But  it  has  been  maintained  that  man  in  his  pri- 
mitive state  was  an  immortal,  a  'perfect  and  a  holy 
being.  Now  if  this  position  were  admitted,  the 
common  notion  of  the  fall  would  be  most  easily 
sustained.  For  if  such  was  the  original  state  of 
man,  the  fact  is  perfectly  clear  that  he  has  greatly 
degenerated  from  his  primeval  exaltation  and  per- 
fection. Only  grant  a  man  all  his  premises,  and 
but  a  small  measure  of  abiUty  is  needed  to  estab- 
lish any  conclusion  that  he  may  desire.     But  we 


58    UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTRINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

fault  the  premises — and  we  here  demand  proof 
that  has  never  yet  been  furnished.  And  unless  it 
can  be  shown  that  man  was  at  first  immortal  and 
perfect  and  lioly^  it  is  idle  and  preposterous  to 
assert  that  he  has  fallenixom.  his  original  nature — 
and  then  to  refer  to  his  present  mortality,  imper- 
fection and  sinfulness  in  proof  of  the  fact. 

Tacitus,  the  Roman  historian,  says,  "In  the 
early  ages  of  the  world,  men  led  a  life  of  innocence 
and  simplicity.  Free  from  irregular  passions,  they 
knew  no  corruption  of  manners;  and  void  of  guilt, 
they  had  no  need  of  laws.  In  the  natural  emotions 
of  the  heart  they  found  incentives  to  virtue,  and 
rewards  were  unnecessary.  Having  no  inordi- 
nate desires,  they  coveted  nothing,  and  pains  and 
penalties  were  unknown."  This  is  indeed  a  very 
beautiful  picture — but  it  happens  to  be  notiiing 
more  than  imagination.  And  the  translator  of 
Tacitus  has  well  said  in  a  note, — "  It  may  be  made 
a  question,  whether  a  period  of  pure  simplicity 
and  innocence  ever  existed.  Seneca  expatiates  in 
praise  of  those  times,  and  the  poets  have  been 
lavish  in  their  description  of  the  golden  age ;  but 
the  history  of  mankind  has  no  proofs  of  the  fact. 
An  ingenious  writer  says,  who  were  those  men 
that  lived  in  so  much  innocence  ?  The  first  man 
who  was  born  into  the  world,  killed  the  second. 
When  did  the  times  of  simplicity  begin  .^"  And 
we  may  go  back  one  step  farther,  and  say,  the  first 
man  that  ever  lived  in  the  world,  exhibited  the 
imperfection  of  his  nature  in  the  very  act  of  sin- 
ning. When  did  the  perfection  and  immaculate 
holiness  of  human  nature  begin? 

The  ancient  Persians  held  notions  very  similar 


THE    FALL    OF    MAN.  59 

to  those  of  Tacitus  in  regard  to  the  primitive  nature 
of  man.  In  stating  their  beUef,  Gibbon  thus 
speaks:— "The  vvise^  benevolence  of  Ormusd  [the 
good  God]  formed  man  capable  of  virtue,  and 
abundantly  provided  his  fair  habitation  with  the 
materials  of  happiness.  By  his  vigilant  providence, 
the  motion  of  the  planets,  the  order  of  the  seasons, 
and  the  temperate  mixture  of  the  elements,  are  pre- 
served. But  the  malice  of  Ahriman  [the  evil  God] 
has  long  since  pierced  Ormusd's  egg ;  or  in  other 
words,  has  violated  the  harmony  of  his  works. 
Since  that  fatal  irruption,  the  most  minute  articles 
of  poison  spring  up  amidst  the  most  salutary 
plants  ;  deluges,  earthquakes,  and  conflagrations, 
attest  the  conflict  of  Nature,  and  the  little  world  of 
man  is  perpetually  shaken  by  vice  and  misfortune.'' 

Such  opinions  were  common  among  benighted 
Pagans.  And  all  have  heard  of  Pandora,  the 
first  woman,  according  to  Grecian  Mythology,  who 
suffered  her  fatal  box  to  be  opened,  when  "there 
issued  from  it  a  multitude  of  evils  and  distempers, 
which  dispersed  themselves  all  over  the  world, 
and  which,  from  that  fatal  moment,  have  not  ceased 
to  afflict  the  human  race."  All  this  has  doubtless 
been  believed.  And  the  candid  thinker  and  close 
observer  is  not  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  notions  of 
a  very  similar  character  are  still  regarded  by  many 
persons  as  the  teachings  of  divine  truth. 

But  when  we  take  our  leave  of  mere  fables  and 
legends,  and  direct  our  attention  to  the  Scriptures, 
do  we  really  find  any  thing  of  the  kind  there 
stated — any  thing  to  justify  the  belief  that  the  first 
man  of  our  race  was  created  immortal  and  perfect, 
but  became  mortal  and  imperfect  by  sin  ?  We  know 


GO    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

of  but  one  passage  that  even  seems  to  favor  such  a 
supposition — and  the  proof  which  that  passage  af- 
fords is  surely^  of  a  very  questionable  character. 
Speaking  of  the  difficulty  of  understanding  all 
the  devices  of  the  human  heart,  Solomon  says, 
Eccles.  vii.  29,  *'  Lo,  this  only  have  I  found,  that 
God  hath  made  man  upright ;  but  they  have 
sought  out  many  inventions."  Now  it  must  cer- 
tainly require  a  very  keen  perception,  such  as  we 
dare  not  boast,  to  find  in  this  place  any  proof  that 
the  whole  nature  of  man  was  radically  changed 
on  account  of  Adam's  "  first  disobedience."  If 
seeking  out  inventions  means  a  change  of  human 
nature,  we  should  be  led  to  conclude  that  our  poor 
nature  must  have  undergone  a  great  many  trans- 
formations since  the  days  of  Adam  ! 

Man  was  made  upright  and  innocent,  though  sub- 
ject to  vanity — and  after  coming  to  the  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil,  he  sought  out  many  and  various 
kinds  of  inventions.  But  we  find  nothing  here  to 
countenance  the  common  notion  of  "  the  fall." 
And  indeed  we  find  that  Dr.  Clarke  has  frankly 
said  of  this  passage, — "  I  doubt  much  whether  the 
word  [here  rendered  inventions']  should  be  taken  in 
a  bad  sense.  It  may  signify  the  whole  of  human 
devices,  imaginations,  inventions,  artifice,  with  all 
their  products,"  &c. 

But  we  shall  be  told  that  Adam  was  created 
in  the  image  of  his  Maker,  and  must  therefore 
have  been  in  his  original  state  both  immortal  and 
perfect.  However  conclusive  this  argument  may 
appear  to  others,  we  are  unable  to  perceive  that  it 
has  any  force  whatever.  Though  Adam  was  thus 
created,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  he  had 


THE     FALL    OF    MAN.  61 

any  pre-eminence  in  this  respect  above  his  posteri- 
ty in  general.  As  late  as  the  apostle  James,  when 
the  whole  world  lay  in  sin  and  wickedness,  it  was 
declared  that  men  '^are  made  after  the  similitude 
of  God."  James  iii.  9.  And  if  being  made  in  the 
likeness  of  God  did  not  constitute  man  perfect  and 
immortal  when  this  inspired  apostle  wrote,  neither 
did  it  when  Adam  was  created ! 

Besides,  supposing  our  first  parents  to  have  been 
created  perfect  and  holy,  what  possible  influence 
could  temptation  of  any  kind  have  exerted  over 
their  minds  ?  They  were  tempted  and  caused  to  sin 
through  the  power  of  deception.  "The  woman 
being  deceived  was  in  the  transgression."  But 
how  or  by  what  mQdins  perfect  beings  could  be  de- 
ceived is  not  easily  imagined — and  surely  the  fact 
itself  affords  but  sorry  ^roo{  of  perfection  f 

We  therefore  see  the  strange  difficulties  in  which 
the  common  notion  of  "  the  fall"  is  involved.  And 
we  at  once  perceive  that  the  very  act  of  sinning 
was  the  strongest  evidence  that  Adam  could  pos- 
sibly have  given  of  the  imperfection  and  the^^ec- 
cability  of  his  original  nature.  With  this  fact  in 
view,  nothing  could  exceed  the  extravagance  and 
absurdity  of  the  supposition  that  Adam  was  crea- 
ted an  immortal  and  a  fcrfect  being.  Nothing  of 
the  kind  is  stated  in  the  divine  record — and  sure- 
ly the  history  of  man  should  lead  to  any  other  con- 
clusion ! 

Let  us  now  candidly  inquire  as  to  what  altera- 
tion was  really  effected  in  the  moral  constitution 
of  man  by  "  the  fall."  That  he  was  in  his  origi- 
nal state  susceptible  of  being  tempted,  and  of  sin- 
ning, too,  was  fully  demonstrated  by  the  memora- 
6 


62  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ble  event  in  the  garden  of  Eden.  And  it  is  fur- 
thermore evident  that  God  knew  from  the  begin- 
ning that  man  was  liable  to  sin — else  why  the  pro- 
hibition ?  If  Adam  had  not  been  created  subject 
to  vanity,  and  susceptible  from  the  first  of  being 
deceived  into  transgression,  why  was  he  warned 
against  the  influence  of  evil  ?  That  he  was  ex'posed 
to  sin,  is  too  manifest  to  require  proof.  And  it  is 
equally  plain  and  certain  that  in  his  original  state 
he  was  possessed  of  no  holiness  or  perfection 
that  secured  him  against  sinning ! 

It  appears  from  the  account  recorded  in  Genesis 
that  Adam  was  not  unlike  his  posterity  in  all  sub- 
sequent times.  He  was  tempted,  and  he  yielded 
to  the  influence  of  temptation.  And  who  need  be 
told  that  such  has  ever  been  the  case,  and  still  con- 
tinues ?  It  does  not  seem  that  Adam  was  any  more 
impeccable  than  mankind  in  general.  We  have 
no  account  of  his  having  withstood  the  power  of 
temptation  for  a  long  season,  or  for  any  time.  On 
the  contrary,  he  seems  to  have  yielded  to  the  very 
first  that  ever  appeared  to  his  mind. 

And  in  view  of  these  considerations,  it  does 
really  appear  to  us  that  Adam  fell  far  more  short 
of  perfection  than  some  of  his  posterity.  He  sin- 
fully yielded  to  the  very  first  dictate  of  the  tempt- 
er— while  Joseph  resisted  the  power  of  evil,  and 
maintained  his  virtue  and  innocence  to  the  last. 
And  yet,  by  a  sort  of  logic,  peculiar  to  religious 
errorists,  we  are  gravely  told  that  the  former  was 
created  di  perfect  and  holy  being,  but  that  the  latter 
came  into  the  world  in  a  state  of  total  depravity 
If  this  notion  be  indeed  true,  who  can  deny  that  a 
state  of  utter  corruption  is  vastly  preferable  to  the 
"  original  righteousness"  of  man  ? 


THE  PALL  OP  MAN.  63 

But  the  sober  fact  is,  that  when  we  search  the 
whole  record  of  divine  truth,  we  find  nothing  to 
contradict  the  statement  of  St.  Paul,  that  man  was 
made  subject  to  vanity — and  that  his  moral  as  well 
as  his  physical  nature  is  therefore  the  same  now 
as  it  was  when  the  spirit  of  God  first  inspired  him 
with  life  !  And  we  have  no  more  reason  for  sup- 
posing that  human  nature  was  changed  for  the 
worse  by  the  sin  of  Adam,  than  we  have  for  sup- 
posing that  it  was  changed  for  the  better  by  the 
righteousnes  of  Abel ! 

We  are  aware  that  it  is  quite  common  to  speak 
of  the  heavy  and  awful  curse  that  fell  upon  our 
race  on  account  of  the  first  man^s  disobedience. 
And  this  curse  is  declared  to  include  all  the  mise- 
ries of  this  life,  death  itself,  and  the  pains  of  hell 
forever  !  But  it  may  be  well  to  inquire  whether  the 
Scriptures  furnish  any  proof  sufficient  to  warrant  an 
opinion  at  once  so  monstrous  and  unreasonable. 
We  find  that  the  serpent  was  cursed,  and  so  was 
the  ground  cursed  for  man's  sake.  And  that  part 
of  the  ''curse"  which  relates  directly  to  man,  was 
expressed  in  these  words  : — cursed  is  the  ground  for 
thy  sake  ;  in  sorrow  shalt  thou  eat  of  it  all  the 
days  of  thy  life :  thorns  also  and  thistles  shall  it 
bring  forth  to  thee  ;  and  thou  shalt  eat  of  the  herb 
of  the  field.  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  shalt  thou  eat 
bread,  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground  ;  for  out  of 
it  wast  thou  taken :  for  dust  thou  art,  and  unto 
dust  shalt  thou  return." 

Now  as  the  very  utmost  extent  of  this  denuncia- 
tion was  till  man  should  ^'return  unto  the  ground,"" 
we  need  not  attempt  to  show  that  "the  pains  of  hell" 
beyond  death  formed  no    part  of  the  threatened 


64  UNIVEKSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

penalty.  And  we  are  well  convinced  that  very- 
gross  errors  prevail  in  regard  lo  the  heavy  male- 
diction that  came  upon  man  even  in  this  life.  Is  it 
a  real  cu7'se  for  man  to  till  the  ground,  and  to  gain 
his  living  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow  ?  Were  we  not 
intended  for  exertion  ?  And  do  not  our  health  and 
happiness  depend  upon  the  proper  exercise  of  our 
natural  powers  ?  If  then,  when  the  human  race 
began  to  multiply,  the  ground  had  not  been  so 
cursed  as  no  longer  to  yield  of  itself  sufficient  sus- 
tenance for  the  support  of  life,  the  curse  upon 
man  would  have  been  far  greater  !  Our  race  began 
to  increase  as  soon  as  sin  entered  into  the  world — 
and  it  therefore  became  necessary  that  bread  should 
be  obtained  by  labor  and  toil.  Thorns  and  thistles 
and  other  natural  evils  had  to  be  encountered — and 
so  long  as  man  bears  an  earthly  constitution,  and 
is  subject  to  vanity,  sin  and  suffering  will  be  his 
unavoidable  lot.  The  ''^  curse,' ^  as  it  is  called, 
seems  to  be  inseparably  connected  with  the  estab- 
lished course  of  things  in  this  world.  Man  can  en- 
joy no  perfection  here— this  is  not  the  state  in  which 
the  full  perfection  of  his  nature  is  to  be  developed — 
for  here  he  is  the  creature  of  hope.  Here  there 
can  be  no  entire  freedom  from  toil  and  sorrow — 
for  the  place  of  the  spirit's  peaceful  rest  is  beyond 
the  bounds  of  mortality  in  the  home  of  the  blessed. 
Toil  and  pain  continue  until  the  earthly  race  is 
run.  And  then  man  returns  to  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  because  he  was  taken  out  of  the  ground 
— and  the  spirit  returns  unto  God  because  it  came 
from  him. 

In  view  of  this  brief  and  imperfect  consideration 
of  the  doctrine  of"  the  fall,''  we  think  the  conclu- 


THE  FALL  OF  MAN.  65 

sioii  cannot  reasonably  be  avoided,  that  St.  Paul 
spoke  the  truth  when  he  declared  that  "  the  crea- 
ture was  Tnade  subject  to  vanity."  In  his  pri- 
mitive state,  Adam  was  innocent  before  God, 
though  he  was  neither  immortal  nor  perfect — and 
he  maintained  his  innocency  until  he  sinned.  The 
same  is  true  of  his  posterity.  And  our  Savior  most 
plainly  recognized  the  perfect  innocency  of , little 
children,  who  had  not  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
good  and  evil,  when  he  took  them  in  his  arms  and 
blessed  them,  and  declared  that  of  such  is  the  king- 
dom of  heaven!  They  were  in  a  state  of  simple 
nature — the  very  same,  indeed,  in  which  Adam 
lived  before  he  sinned,  and  thus  lost  his  native  in- 
nocency. 

The  first  man,  though  the  spirit  of  God  was 
breathed  into  him,  was  still  made  of  the  dust  of  the 
ground — and  though  the  inner  man  was  an  emana- 
tion from  above,  there,  were  still  earthly  feelings 
and  passions  in  his  nature.  And  yielding  to  the 
influence  of  earth-born  propensities,  he  was  de- 
ceived and  slain  of  sin.  "  For  the  flesh  (says  an 
apostle)  lusteth  against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit 
against  the  flesh  :  and  these  are  contrary  the  one 
to  the  other ;  so  that  ye  cannot  do  the  things  that 
ye  would. '^  It  is  from  this  warfare  of  conflicting 
feelings  and  powers  in  our  nature,  that  sin  always 
has  been  and  still  is  produced.  And  the  great  duty 
of  man,  as  made  known  in  the  Gospel  of  Christ,  is, 
to  "  crucify  the  flesh  with  the  afl'ections  and  lusts"— 
to  restrain  and  subdue  the  power  of  earthly  and 
sensual  feelings — to  cherish  and  strengthen  the 
purer  and  better  principles  of  our  nature — and  to 
live  and  act  in  obedience  to  "  the  law  of  the  spirit 
of  life  in  Christ  Jesus." 


G6   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

In  concluding  this  part  of  our  labor,  it  may  be 
well  to  remark  that  great  as  the  evil  of  sin  certain- 
ly is,  it  did  not  come  by  accident — nor  was  it  per- 
mitted to  enter  into  the  world  without  a  wise  and 
gracious  purpose  on  the  part  of  him  who  does  all 
things  right.  On  this  important  subject  the  apos- 
tle Paul  speaks  as  follows  : — "  Moreover,  the  law 
entered,  that  the  offence  might  abound.  But  where 
sin  abounded,  grace  did  much  more  abound  :\  That 
as  sin  hath  reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might  grace 
reign  through  righteousness,  unto  eternal  life,  by 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  We  here  learn  that  the 
introduction  of  sin  into  the  world,  and  its  reigning 
unto  death,  afforded  an  opportunity  and  caused  the 
necessity  for  the  exercise  of  divine  mercy  and  grace 
in  delivering  the  whole  creation  from  the  bondage 
of  corruption  unto  the  glorious  liberty  of  the  chil- 
dren of  God! 

The  music  of  heaven  will  be  the  song  of  rede?np- 
Hon  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb.  That  glad 
song  of  triumph  and  joy  could  never  be  sung,  if 
man  had  never  sinned.  The  whole  plan  of  redemp- 
tion would  have  been  without  effect — and  the 
Lamb  of  God,  slain  from  the  foundation  of  the 
worlds  would  have  bled  and  died  in  vain.  But  all 
have  sinned,  and  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God. 
And  when  the  great  work  of  justification  unto  life 
by  the  grace  of  God  manifested  through  the  Re- 
deemer, shall  have  been  finished,  the  full  jubilee  of 
the  whole  creation  shall  be  heard  in  the  courts  of 
the  Lord,  and  the  happiness  of  heaven  shall  be 
perfect ! 


CHAPTER    VII. 

RETRIBUTION  UNDER  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 
DISPENSATION. 


The  subject  upon  which  we  are  now  about  to 
enter  covers  a  vast  extent — and  instead  of  being 
obUged  to  seek  for  topics  of  discourse,  we  are  re- 
quired to  select  from  a  great  multipUcit5^  We  pro- 
pose to  glance  at  the  character  and  operations  of 
the  Divine  Government  through  the  whole  period 
of  the  Old  Testament  Dispensation,  particularly  in 
reference  to  the  rewards  and  punishments  that 
were  administered  by  the  Supreme  Ruler  during 
that  time.  We  shall  aim  at  nothing  more  than  a 
general  view  of  the  subject.  And  though  it  ex- 
tends through  a  long  duration,  and  relates  to  the 
execution  of  retributive  justice  under  a  great  varie- 
ty of  circumstances,  we  think  it  will  not  be  ques- 
tioned that  God's  government  was  administered 
upon  the  same  principles,  and  that  rewards  and 
punishments  were  of  the  same  general  character 
from  the  days  of  Adam  to  the  times  of  the  Messiah. 

It  is  freely  granted  that  during  this  long  period 
different  institutions  were  established,  according 
to  the  progress  and  wants  of  man.  But  none  will 
undertake  to  maintain  that  any  change  took  place, 
either  in  the  principles  of  the  divine  economy,  or 
in  the  nature   and  duration   of  recompense    for 

67 


68  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OP  THE  BIBLE. 

human  conduct.  We  are  to  inquire  what  motives 
to  virtue  and  what  dissuasives  from  vice  were  pre- 
sented before  the  minds  of  men  in  the  word  and 
deaUngs  of  God  in  the  olden  time — and  to  ascer- 
tain, if  possible,  whether  rewards  and  punish- 
ments were  administered  in  the  present  life,  or 
reserved  for  the  future  world.  And  though  a  very- 
wide  field  is  thus  spread  out  before  us,  we  hope  to  be 
able  to  present  a  few  positive  declarations  and  to 
refer  to  several  examples  of  retribution,  that  will 
sufficiently  explain  the  nature  and  character  of  the 
whole  subject. 

Under  the  dispensation  of  the  Old  Testament 
God  was  recognized  as  the  Ruler  and  Lawgiver  and 
Judge  of  the  people — and  his  whole  government 
was  a  Theocracy.  His  regal  character  was  dis- 
played in  the  authority  which  he  maintained  and 
directly  exercised  over  the  concerns  of  nations  and 
the^aftairs  of  individuals.  He  was  the  King,  and 
men  were  the  subjects  of  his  reign.  As  the  Law- 
giver, he  announced  the  rules  by  which  men  were 
obliged  to  govern  their  actions.  And  as  the  Su- 
preme Judge,  he  awarded  the  deserts  of  righteous- 
ness, and  executed  the  penalties  of  sin.  Whatever 
blessings  resulted  from  faithfulness  and  duty,  were 
believed  to  proceed  directly  from  the  divine  hand — 
and  whatever  evils  were  endured  by  reason  of 
transgression,  were  regarded  as  the  sensible  mani- 
festations of  God's  displeasure. 

Nor  was  any  material  change  effected  with  re- 
spect to  these  things  by  the  appointment  of  Judges, 
and  subsequently  of  Kings,  in  Israel.  These  seve- 
ral officers  stood  in  the  capacity  of  God's  vice- 
gerants  upon  earth.     And  although  they  declared 


RETRIBUTION.  69 

his  will,  enforced  his  authority,  and  executed  the 
requisitions  of  his  justice,  He  was  still  the  King,  the 
Lawgiver  and  the  Judge.  The  same  Theocracy 
was  continued  from  the  first  man  who  was  created, 
down  to  the  last  of  the  prophets.  And  as  to  the 
age  of  darkness  between  Malachi  and  the  Baptist, 
nothing  need  be  said. 

Now  that  God  exercised  his  regal  authority  dur- 
ing the  whole  time  of  which  we  speak,  will  not 
be  denied.  The  fact  is  also  freely  admitted  that 
in  the  course  of  the  same  dispensation  he  fully  dis- 
played himself  in  the  character  of  a  Lawgiver. 
And  shall  we  suppose  that  his  judicial  work  was 
left  undone,  and  deferred  to  a  future  and  far  dis- 
tant period  ?  Did  he  publish  his  commands  as  the 
Supreme  Lawgiver  and  King,  and  yet  as  the  Judge 
of  all  the  earth  fail  to  execute  the  justice  of  his  law? 
It  has  been  asserted  with  very  great  posi- 
tiveness  that  the  Sovereign  Judge  pronounced  his 
righteous  decisions  upon  the  conduct  of  men  in  an- 
cient times — but  reserved  the  full  rewards  of  virtue 
and  the  awful  penalties  of  sin  to  be  administered 
at  a  distant  time  and  in  a  future  world.  But  we 
have  never  yet  been  favored  with  any  proof  that 
seems  sufficient  to  warrant  this  assertion.  The 
Scriptures  manifestly  declare  that  while  God  gave 
laws  to  his  people,  he  also  executed  his  righteous 
judgments.  The  Psalmist  not  only  said,  "  Verily 
he  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth^^  but  he 
also  declared,  "The  Lord  is  known  by  the  judg- 
ment which  he  execuieih.^^  And  we  feel  fully 
justified  by  these  and  other  passages  of  like  mean- 
ing, to  conclude  that  under  the  Old  Testament  dis- 
pensation, God  was  as  fully  displayed  in  his  judicial 


70   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

character,  as  he  was  in  giving  laws  to  his  people 
and  in  governing  the  nations  upon  earth. 

The  simple  fact  declared  by  Moses,  Deut.  xxxii. 
4,  should  be  kept  constantly  in  view  in  the  consi- 
deration of  our  subject — ^^For  all  his  ways  are 
judgment.^'  In  all  God's  dealings  with  mankind 
since  the  beginning  of  the  world,  judgment  has 
formed  an  important  branch  of  his  general  admin- 
istration. Man,  in  every  condition  of  life,  and  un- 
der all  possible  circumstances,  has  ever  been  sub- 
ject to  the  operations  and  influences  of  certain  and 
invariable  laws.  Adam,  commencing  the  course 
of  life  without  the  experience  of  infancy  and  child- 
hood, was  at  once  made  acquainted  with  an  ex- 
press commandment  of  his  Maker.  His  violation 
of  the  law  to  which  all  stand  amenable,  diff'ered, 
therefore,  in  one  respect,  from  the  transgressions  of 
his  immediate  descendants.  He  disobeyed  a  law 
which  was  declared  in  words — and  they  were  un- 
faithful to  the  law  of  their  own  understanding. 
But  they  all,  without  exception,  experienced  the 
judgments  of  the  same  just  and  righteous  Ruler. 
St.  Paul  speaks  very  plainly  on  this  subject,  Rom. 
V,  where  he  says,  *'  For  until  the  law,  (that  is,  the 
law  of  Moses,)  sin  was  in  the  world  :  but  sin  is 
not  imputed  when  there  is  no  law.  Nevertheless^ 
death  reigned  from  Adam  to  Moses,  even  over 
them  that  had  not  sinned  after  the  similitude  of 
Adam's  transgression,  who  is  the  figure  of  him  that 
was  to  come.'' 

A  knowledge  of  God's  revealed  law  increases  the 
obligations  of  duty  imposed  upon  man  by  natural 
reason  and  conscience.  Where  this  law  is  not  known, 
sin  is  not  imputed  in  the  same  manner  and  to  the 


RETRIBUTION.  71 

same  extent,  as  where  it  has  been  revealed.  From 
Adam  to  Moses,  no  man  could  sin  after  the  simiU- 
tude  or  hkeness  of  Adam's  transgression— because 
he  received  an  express  command  from  God,  and  no 
such  law  was  given  to  the  rest  of  mankind  during 
that  period.  Nevertheless,  tlie  natural  fruits  or  the 
just  consequences  of  human  actions,  were  still  ex- 
experienced.  Moral  or  spiritual  death,  ever  the 
certain  result  of  evil  doing,  reigned  from  the  time 
of  the  first  man  to  the  lawgiver  of  Israel,  the  same 
as  after  the  memorable  code  was  received  from 
the  Arabian  Mount.  For  all  God^s  ivays  are 
judgment. 

All  men,  we  repeat,  in  every  condition  of  life, 
are  the  subjects  of  law.  There  has  ever  been  a 
natural  and  a  necessary  connexion  between  the  ac- 
tions of  man  and  their  equitable  results  as  declared 
in  the  Scriptures.  And  one  of  the  most  mischiev- 
ous and  dangerous  errors  that  have  ever  prevailed, 
is  the  supposition  that  in  this  ivorld  God  merely 
watches  our  doings,  and  records  our  deeds  in  the 
book  of  his  remembrance,  and  will  in  the  future 
world  reward  and  punish  us, — and  not  even  there 
according  to  our  general  character  and  conduct  in 
life,  but  according  to  the  last  act  of  our  mortal 
being.  Thusit  is  denied  that  God's  ways  are  judg- 
ment in  this  world — while  it  is  believed  that  the 
rewards  of  virtue  may  be  lost,  the  punishments  of 
sin  eluded,  and  the  righteous  ends  of  the  divine 
government  effectually  defeated. 

To  the  influence  of  this  fatal  error  in  some  of  its 
forms,  may  be  ascribed  a  vast  proportion  of  the 
sins  and  consequent  sufferings  of  the  world.  It 
throws  a  blinding  deception  over  the  human  mind 


12    UMVERSALISM,    THE  DOCTRINE    OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  while  it  obscures  all  the  loveliness  and  beau- 
ty of  virture,  it  gilds  vice  with  every  false  and  de- 
ceptive charm.  It  lurks  like  an  evil  genius  in  the 
breast  of  every  man  who  fancies  that  he  can  sin 
with  impunity,  and  find  real  happiness  in  a  course 
of  disobedience  to  God.  And  we  earnestly  desire, 
according  to  the  measure  of  our  ability,  to  correct 
this  dangerous  mistake,  and  to  convince  the  world 
that  all  God's  ways  are  judgment. 

We  have  one  word  more  to  offer  before  we  pro- 
ceed. The  subject  of  our  present  inquiry,  if  pro- 
perly considered,  will  shed  much  light  upon  the 
retributions  of  divine  justice  as  declared  in  the 
Christian  revelation.  The  Gospel  is  expressly  pro- 
nounced a  new  and  better  covenant  than  the  old, 
because  **  established  upon  better  promises.^'  And 
after  we  shall  have  ascertained  what  were  the  na- 
ture and  duration  of  recompense  under  the  old  dis- 
pensation, we  may  safely  assume  that  nothing  less 
merciful  in  God,  or  less  favorable  to  the  happiness 
of  man,  is  revealed  in  that  glorious  Gospel  of  the 
blessed  God,  which  proclaims  good  tidings  of  great 
joy,  that  shall  be  to  all  people  ! 

The  first  case  of  retribution  recorded  in  the  Scrip- 
tures is  that  in  which  the  progenitor  of  our  race 
was  the  subject  of  God's  dealings.  Created  in  in- 
nocency,  and  supplied  with  the  means  of  subsist- 
ence and  of  happiness,  Adam  was  allowed  freely 
to  enjoy  all  the  blessings  of  the  earth,  while  he 
was  strictly  forbidden  to  seek  a  knowledge  of  good 
and  evil  by  the  commission  of  sin.  The  simple 
law  instituted  for  his  government  was  very  express 
in  its  provisions — and  the  penalty  in  case  of  diso- 
bedience was  unequivocally  declared.     And,  aside 


RETRIBUTION.  73 

from  all  the  wild  and  fanciful  conjectures  that  have 
been  indulged  on  this  subject,  there  seems  to  be 
no  reasonable  ground  for  controversy  touching 
the  intent  of  the  law,  and  the  nature  and  extent  of 
the  penalty  denounced.  "  And  the  Lord  God  com- 
manded the  man,  saying,  Of  every  tree  of  the  gar- 
den thou  mayest  freely  eat :  Bat  of  the  tree  of  the 
knowledge  of  good  and  evil,  thou  shalt  not  eat  of 
it :  for  in  the  day  that  thou  eatest  thereof  thou 
shalt  surely  die."  Gen.  ii.  16,  17. 

We  shall  venture  no  opinion  concerning  the  gar- 
den and  the  trees  here  mentioned.  Nor  shall  we 
puzzle  ourselves  to  settle  the  question  as  to  the 
precise  act  that  constituted  "  the  first  disobedience 
of  Adam.  The  garden  doubtless  represents  man^s 
original  innocence,  and  by  his  partaking  of  the  for- 
bidden fruit  is  meant  that  he  transgressed  the  com- 
mand of  his  Maker.  And  whatever  might  have 
been  the  act  committed,  it  cannot  affect  the  na- 
ture of  our  subject. 

But  there  are  two  questions  which  here  seem 
to  demand  our  particular  attention. 

1st.  What  was  the  declared  penalty  of  Adam's 
disobedience?  The  divine  record  gives  the  simple 
answer — it  was  death.  So  far  as  this  plain  matter 
of  fact  is  concerned,  a  perfect  concurrence  of  be- 
lief is  found  to  prevail  among  all  Christian  people. 
But  when  we  come  to  explain  the  extent  of  mean- 
ing expressed,  and  the  nature  and  duration  of  the 
punishment  signified  by  the  term  death,,  we  ascer- 
tain that  the  most  discordant  and  contradictory 
opinions  are  entertained.  The  more  common  no- 
tion in  our  day  is,  that  this  simple  word  embraced 
nothing  less  than  a  threefold  death — that  is,  spirit- 
7 


74    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ua],  temporal,  and  eternal  death — or,  in  other 
words, "  all  the  miseries  of  this  life,  death  itself, 
and  the  pains  of  hell  forever."  But  is  it  supposi- 
ble  that  any  thinking  man  will  seriously  contend 
that  any  thing  of  the  kind  is  really  stated  in  the 
history  of  Adam  ?  We  think  all  candid  persons 
must  admit  that  this  notion,  however  sincerely  be- 
lieved, is  susceptible  of  no  positive  Scripture  proof. 
And  if  an}'-  person  has  authority  to  affirm  that  three 
deaths  were  intended  when  but  one  was  expressed, 
why  may  we  not  with  equal  propriety  assert  that 
a  still  greater  number  was  meant } 

We  have  never  yet  heard  one  creditable  argu- 
ment to  prove  that  all  the  miseries  of  this  life  (to 
say  nothing  of  any  other)  are  the  penalties  of  sin. 
That  sin  in  some  form  is  the  cause  of  all  the  moral 
disorders  of  the  world,  we  shall  not  attempt  to  de- 
ny. But  we  hold  that  there  are  evils  and  suffer- 
ings necessarily  connected  with  our  earthly  exist- 
ence and  our  mortal  constitution,  which  do  not  pro- 
ceed from  any  violations  of  the  moral  law  of  God. 
And  we  find  that  when  our  Savior  was  questioned 
in  regard  to  a  certain  case  of  bli)idness,  and  asked, 
"Who  did  sin,  this  man,  or  his  parents,  that  he 
was  born  blind  ?  he  answered.  Neither  hath  this 
man  sinned,  nor  his  parents  ;  but  that  the  works  of 
God  should  be  made  manifest  in  him."  Here  was 
a  great  evil  that  did  not  result  from  sin,  either  in 
the  parents  or  in  the  child — but  it  came  in  the 
established  course  of  God's  wise  and  mysterious 
providence.  It  is  therefore  not  true  that  all  the 
miseries  of  this  life  are  the  inflictions  of  ^retribu- 
tive justice. 

And  as  to  "eternal  death,"  we  are  quite  confi 
2*   . 


RETRIBUTION.  75 

dent  that  such  a  thmg  is  not  once  named  in  any 
part  of  the  Bible — nor  has  any  expression  of  equi- 
valent meaning  ever  yet  been  found  in  the  sacred 
volume.  This  part  of  the  subject  may  therefore 
be  dismissed  without  another  word. 

Leaving  the  subject  of  temporal  death  for  the 
present,  for  reasons  that  will  hereafter  appear,  tlie 
whole  matter  is  now  brought  down  to  simple  mo- 
ral or  spiritual  death.  And  such,  we  firmly  believe, 
was  the  full  penalty  of  Adam's  disobedience.  This 
opinion  is  well  sanctioned  by  the  Scripture  usage 
of  the  word  death.  When  Moses  gave  command- 
ments to  the  children  of  Isarel,  and  set  before  them 
the  evils  that  would  befall  them  in  the  land  to 
which  they  journeyed,  in  case  of  transgression,  he 
assured  them  that  he  had  thus  set  death  before 
them.  St.  Paul  speaks  to  the  Corinthians  of  their 
having  been  delivered  from  death — and  he  also 
testifies  that  "  to  be  carnally  minded  is  death,^^  and, 
"  the  wages  of  sin  is  death:^  Such  testimony  could 
be  greatly  multiplied — but  it  seems  unnecessary. 
Death  to  innocence — death  in  sin — and  all  the 
pangs  of  guilt  and  the  keen  stings  of  conscience, 
were  denounced  as  the  penalty  of  transgression  in 
the  garden  of  Eden. 

2d.  When  was  the  penally  of  Adam's  disobedi- 
ence to  be  executed  ?  Here  again  the  simple  his- 
tory of  the  man  furnishes  a  very  plain  answer.  It 
was  in  the  day  of  his  transgression.  This  decla- 
ration of  God  himself  gives  the  strongest  confirma- 
tion to  the  opinion  which  we  have  already  express- 
ed— namely,  that  spiritual  or  moral  death  covered 
the  entire  ground  of  the  denunciation.  And  it 
very  clearly  proves  that  even  temporal  death — to 


76    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

say  nothing  of  ceaseless  woes  in  the  future  world — 
formed  no  part  of  the  threatened  penalty.  Natural 
death  is  the  necessary  result  of  our  earthly  nature 
and  a  mortal  constitution — while  moral  or  spiritual 
death  is  the  effect  of  sin.  And  that  this  latter  death 
was  the  penalty  of  Adam's  disobedience,  is  con- 
clusively proved  by  the  fact  that  he  experienced  it, 
according  to  the  sure  word  of  God,  in  the  day  of 
transgression — and  yet  afterwards  continued  to 
live  many  years  as  an  inhabitant  of  the  earth  ! 

It  is  therefore  easily  perceived  that  the  threat- 
ening declared  to  Adam  did  not  extend   beyond 
the  period  of  his  natural  lifetime.     The  very  far- 
thest extent  of  the  curse  denounced  against  him 
/   after  he  had  transgressed,  was  till  he  should  return 
I    unto  the  ground,  out  of  which  he  was  taken  !  And 
^     if  this  man's  retribution  was  thus  limited  by  the 
express  declaration  of  God,  we  have  no  authority, 
nay,  we  positively  contradict  the  divine  testimony 
when  we  assert,  that  any  other  motives  were  pre- 
sented to  his   mind  '*to  pursue  the  good  and  to 
avoid  the  evil,  than  those  which    were    derived 
from  the  rewards  and  punishmeuts  of  this  life." 
Let  us  now  briefly  notice  the  next  case  of  retri- 
bution that  appears  in  the  history  of  our  race.  The 
hands  of  Cain  were  stained  with  the  blood  of  mur- 
dered innocence.     And  for  the  horrid  crime  of  slay- 
ing his  brother — his  only  brother — he  was  doomed 
^      to  a  fearful  punishment  that  caused  him   to  ex- 
claim in  the  bitterness  of  his  grief,  "  My  punish- 
ment is  greater  than  I  can  bear.'"  That  atrocious  act 
was  committed  without  provocation,  and  with  the 
most  shocking  and  revolting  cruelty.     There  was 
no  circumstance    connected  with  all  that  terrible 


RETRIBUTION.  77 

tragedy  to  extenuate  the  guilt  of  the  deUberate  and 
cold-blooded  murderer.  The  long  and  black  cata- 
logue of  crimes  from  his  day  to  the  present  time 
may  be  diligently  searched,  and  a  more  deeply 
malicious  act  cannot  be  found  on  record  ! 

And  what  was  the  awful  penalty  denounced  in 
this  case?  Who  dare  affirm  that  Cain,  with  his 
hands  stained  with  the  blood  of  a  brother,  was 
sentenced  to  any  other  retribution  than  that  which 
was  endured  in  this  world  } 

Let  it  be  well  understood  that  the  question  be- 
fore us  is  not — what  amount  of  punishment  did 
Cain  deserve? — or  what  kind  and  degree  of  retri- 
bution would  have  produced  the  most  salutary  re- 
sults upon  mankind  in  after  ages  ?  With  these 
questions  we  have  now  no  concern  whatever — 
they  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  subject  before  us. 
If  any  person  desires  to  speculate  in  regard  to  these 
things,  and  to  give  his  opinion  to  the  world,  we 
have  no  objections  to  offer.  But  the  only  proper 
question  now  before  us,  is,  what  say  the  Scriptures 
touching  the  doom  of  Cain  for  his  wickedness? 
And  here  is  the  answer : — "  And  now  art  thou 
cursed  from  the  earth,  which  hath  opened  her 
mouth  to  receive  thy  brother's  blood  from  thy 
hand.  When  thou  tillest  the  ground,  it  shall  not 
henceforth  yield  unto  thee  her  strength.  A  fxi^i- 
Iwe  and  a  vagabond  shall  thou  he  in  the  eart/C 
Such  was  the*"very  extent  of  the 'whole  denuncia- 
tion. And  whatever  opinions  may  be  held  on  this 
subject — whatever  alarming  outcry  may  be  raised 
about  demorahzing  doctrines — and  whatever  loud 
and  daring  assertions  may  be  made  in  regard  to 
the  just  doom  of  the  murderer — we  may  safely 
7* 


78  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

defy  any  man  living  to  prove  by  the  Scriptures 
that  Cain  was  adjudged  of  God  to  any  penal 
sufferings  beyond  his  natural  lifetime  ! 

We  shall  devote  the  remainder  of  the  present 
chapter  to  a  consideration  of  the  case  of  the  Ante- 
diluvians and  the  people  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah, 
whom  God  drowned  in  the  flood  and  destroyed  by 
fire  from  heaven.  We  include  these  two  judg- 
ments in  one,  because  of  their  manifest  similarity 
of  character,  and  because  what  we  have  to  say  of 
one  will  be  found  alike  applicable  to  the  other. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  old  world  corrupted  their 
way  before  the  Lord,  and  at  last  became  so  exceed- 
ingly wicked,  that  they  were  swept  from  the  earth 
by  a  terrible  judgment  from  Heaven — and  the  same 
was  afterwards  the  case  with  reference  to  the  dwell- 
ers in  the  cities  of  the  plain.  And  while  Noah 
and  his  household  were  saved  from  the  general 
deluge  as  a  mark  of  divine  favor,  Lot  was  deliver- 
ed from  the  judgment  on  Sodom  as  a  recompense 
for  his  righteousness  before  the  Lord.  The  history 
of  those  wicked  people  ends  with  the  account  of 
their  death — and  the  judgment  which  God  execut- 
ed in  their  destruction  from  the  earth  was  the  last 
judgment  concerning  them  of  which  we  find  any 
record  in  the  Scriptures.  Of  the  Antediluvians  God 
said,  "  I  will  destroy  man,  whom  I  have  created, 
from  the  face  of  the  earth."  And  of  the  cities  of  the 
plain,  we  read  Gen.  xix.  24,  25,  "Then  the  Lord 
rained  upon  Sodom,  and  upon  Gomorrah,  brim- 
stone and  fire  from  the  Lord  out  of  heaven ;  and 
he  overthrew  those  cities,  and  all  the  plain,  and  all 
the  inhabitants  of  the  cities,  and  that  which  grew 
upon  the  ground." 


RETRIBUTION.  79 

We  may  remark,  in  this  place,  that  the  ground 
upon  which  the  cities  of  the  plain  stood,  being  filled 
with  bitumen,  continued  to  burn  long  after  the 
cities  were  destroyed — and  it  has  been  affirmed  by 
travellers  and  historians  that  even  as  late  as  the 
times  of  the  apostles,  and  afterwards,  "smoke  and 
small  flame  did  sometimes  break  out/'  The  long 
continuance  of  this  fire  led  St.  Jude  to  call  it  "  eter- 
nal fire."  But  the  learned  Gilpin,  as  cited  by 
Paige,  has  truly  said,  "  The  apostle  cannot  well 
vaediW  future  punishments,  because  he  mentions  it 
as  a  deigma — something  that  was  to  be  a  visible 
example  to  all.  That  word  deriving  from  deikiiu- 
mia,  to  show,  or  exhibit,  properly  signifies  to  give 
a  sample  of  something  to  be  sold.^^  And  because 
Jude  spoke  of  a  visible  vionutnent  on  eauth  of  the 
ancient  and  terrible  judgment  that  befell  the  cities 
of  the  plain,  it  by  no  means  follows  that  the  sub- 
jects of  that  judgment  were  doomed  to  lasting  and 
merciless  woes  in  the  future  and  unseen  world  ! 

But  here  we  shall  be  met  with  the  old  and  oft- 
repeated  objection  that  if  the  doctrine  which  we 
hold  be  true,  the  Antediluvians  and  the  people  of 
Sodom  and  Gomorrah  fared  far  better  than  righte- 
ous Noah  and  Lot — inasmuch  as  the  former  were 
taken  immediately  to  heaven,  while  the  latter  were 
left  behind  to  endure  all  the  evils  and  to  buffet  all  the 
tempests  of  life.  Now  we  have  not  a  word  to  say 
about  the  particular  condition  of  those  wicked  re- 
bels immediately  after  death.  And  when  we  are 
directly  and  earnestly  questioned  in  regard  to  their 
final  estate,  we  can  only  answer,  according  to  the 
Scriptures,  that  they  shall  be  made  alive  in  Christ  : 
"  For  as  in  Adam  a// die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall  all 


vSO  UNIVBRSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

be  made  alive."  But  our  doctrine  does  not  oblige 
us  to  believe  that  those  wicked  people  accelerated 
their  progress  to  heaven  by  the  commission  of- sin. 
This  is  what  our  opposers  have  labored  hard  to 
charge  upon  us — but  we  have  never  avowed  nor 
believed  any  thing  of  the  kind.  But  we  do  believe, 
as  the  Scriptures  testify,  that  Christ  was  the  first 
fruits  of  those  who  slept,  1st  Cor.  xv.  20,  and  the 
firsihegotton  of  the  dead.  Rev.  1.5.  And  we  there- 
fore deny  that  the  wicked  people  of  whom  we 
speak  had  entered  into  heaven,  or  were  made  alive 
in  Christ,  even  when  the  ^XQdX  forerunner  of  all 
ascended  as  the^r*^  who  rose  from  the  dead  to  die 
no  more  ! 

The  objector,  let  it  be  noticed,  seems  to  consider 
life  in  itself  as  an  evil,  and  death  as  a  deliverance 
from  this  evil — for  he  supposes  that  if  there  be  no 
dreadful  sufferings  beyond  mortality,  the  Antedilu- 
vians and  the  inhabitants  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah 
were  very  highly  favored  in  being  removed  from 
the  earth,  while  righteous  Noah  and  Lot  were  left 
behind  to  bear  all  the  ills  of  this  life  !  But  if  this 
reasoning  be  correct,  how  shall  we  reconcile  the 
justice  and  the  mercy  of  God  with  the  fact  that 
these  good  and  holy  men  were  not  swept  off  in  the 
general  destruction,  instead  of  being  left  behind  to 
linger  out  a  miserable  existence  in  this  vale  of 
tears?  Surely  they  would  have  gone  safely,  what- 
ever might  have  been  the  fate  of  the  wicked.  And 
if  death,  without  exposure  to  future  misery,  was 
no  punishment^  but  a  blessing,  why  was  this  bless- 
ing withheld  from  righteous  Noah  and  Lot  ?  But 
it  should  be  well  understood  that  the  Scriptures 
consider  life  as  the  greatest  of  all  blessings,  and 


RETRIBUTION.  81 

premature  and  violent  death  as  the  most  awful  fun- 
ishment.  And  one  Scripture  declaration  weighs 
more  with  us  in  a  matter  of  this  kind  than  a  thou- 
sand groundless  opinions  and  as  many  naked  as- 
sertions. 

Let  us  here  bring  into  view  a  few  of  the  many 
proofs  of  what  we  have  said  in  regard  to  life  and 
premature  death.  The  Psalmist  represents  God  as 
saying  of  "the  man  that  dwelleth  in  the  secret 
place  of  the  Most  High,"  ''With  long  life  will  I 
satisfy  him,  and  show  him  my  salvation. '^  And 
again,  "But  thou,  O  God,  shalt  bring  them  down 
to  destruction  :  bloody  and  deceitful  men  shall  not 
live  out  half  their  days.'^  And  Solomon  says  of  wis- 
dom ^'Length  of  days  is  in  her  right  hand'^  "Hear, 
O  my  son,  and  receive  my  sayings,  and  the  years 
of  thy  life  shall  be  many.'^  "  The  ivicked  shall  be 
cut  off  from  the  earth,  and  the  transgressors  shall 
be  rooted  out  of  it."  "  The  years  of  the  wicked 
shall  he  shortened.^' 

The  Scriptures  abound  with  such  declarations. 
They  could  be  furnished  to  almost  any  number,  but 
it  seems  useless  to  give  any  more.  Now  whether  life 
is  really  a  blessing,  or  not,  is  a  question  with  which 
we  have  no  concern  in  this  place — though  we  are 
fully  convinced  that  our  Savior  testified  truly  when 
he  said,  "  for  all  that  a  man  hath  will  he  give  for 
his  life."  It  is  certain  that  the  Scriptures  consider 
life  a  blessing.  And  this  fact  is  quite  sufficient  for 
our  present  purpose.  And  let  it  be  carefully  no- 
ticed and  well  remembered,  that  the  good  man  was 
not  promised  a  speedy  departure  from  this  world 
to  the  enjoyment  of  blessedness  in  eternity — but 
long  life  on  earth  J     Neither  was  the  wicked  man 


S2    UNIVERSALISM,  THK   DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

threatened  with  a  lengthened  existence  in  this  world 
of  sin  and  sorrow,  and  a  merciless  curse  to  follow 
hereafter — but  with  being  cut  off  from  the  earth! 

Let  us  now  introduce  two  individual  cases  in 
which  the  prolongation  of  human  life  was  received 
as  a  direct  blessing  from  God.  We  are  informed, 
2d  Kings,  XX,  that  King  Hezekiah  became  sick 
unto  death — but  that  because  he  had  w^alked  be- 
fore God  in  truth,  and  with  a  perfect  heart,  and  had 
done  that  which  was  right  in  his  sight,  the  Lord 
said  unto  him,  '^  Behoki,  I  will  heal  thee ;  on  the 
third  day  thou  shalt  go  up  unto  the  house  of  the 
Lord.  And  I  loill  add  unto  thy  days  Jijteen  years.^^ 
Now  no  one  can  suppose  that  this  righteous  man 
would  have  passed  into  a  state  of  misery  beyond 
death,  if  he  had  died  of  this  sickness.  Still  his  life 
was  prolonged  fifteen  years  as  a  reward  for  his 
great  piety!  And  every  discerning  person  can  at 
once  perceive  that  in  like  manner  Noah  and  Lot 
were  preserved  alive,  while  their  wicked  and  un- 
godly neighbors  were  swept  from  the  earth  as  a 
judgment  for  their  sins  ! 

Again,  St.  Paul  says  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Philip- 
pians,  '^  Yet  I  supposed  it  necessary  to  send  to  you 
Epaphroditus,  my  brother,  and  companion  in  labor, 
and  fellow-soldier.  *  *  *  For  indeed  he  was  sick 
nigh  unto  death  :  but  God  had  mercy  on  him  ;  and 
not  on  him  only,  but  on  me  also,  lest  1  should  have 
sorrow  upon  sorrow.''  Now  all  will  most  freely 
admit  that  this  good  and  righteous  man  would  cer- 
tainly have  gone  to  heaven  if  he  had  died  of  this 
sickness.  And  yet  the  apostle  declares  that  God 
had  mercy  on  him  in  not  permitting  him  to  die  ! 
That  is,  according  to  the  objector's   notion,  Epa- 


RETRIBUTION.  S3 

phroditus  was  fully  prepared  for  heaven,  but  God 
was  so  merciful  and  kind  towards  him  that  he 
would  not  suffer  him  to  depart — but  graciously- 
doomed  him  to  tarry  still  longer  in  this  evil  world  ! 

In  view  of  the  foregoing  considerations  it  is  easy 
to  understand  how  the  Antediluvians  and  the  peo- 
ple of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  could  be  punished  for 
their  sins,  without  being  made  the  hapless  victims 
of  furious  and  merciless  curses  in  the  future  world. 
They  were  cut  off  from  the  earth  as  a  punishment 
for  their  sins,  while  Noah  and  Lot  were  left  to  en- 
joy the  blessings  of  life.  The  former  died  under 
the  judgments  of  God — and  the  latter  lived  out 
the  full  period  of  mortal  existence,  and  died  the 
death  of  the  righteous. 

But  we  shall  be  told  that  if  a  man  is  deprived  of 
his  life  as  a  judgment  from  God,  and  suffers  no 
penalty  after  he  is  dead,  his  premature  death  can- 
not be  considered  as  a  punishment  for  sin.  This 
assumption,  however,  is  disproved  by  facts.  None 
believe  that  Moses  and  Aaron,  the  ancient  servants 
of  God,  departed  out  of  this  world  into  a  state  of 
ceaseless  woe — and  yet  they  both  died  as  a  judg- 
ment from  God,  because  they  had  transgressed 
against  him.  It  is  stated  in  Deut.  xxxii.  2,  that 
Moses  was  commanded  to  ascend  Mount  Nebo 
and  there  die,  as  his  brother  Aaron  had  died  in 
Mount  Hor, — '^because  ye  transgressed  against 
me  among  the  children  of  IsmeW^  And  if  dying 
for  sin  as  a  judgment  from  God,  proves  the  end- 
less punishment  of  the  Antediluvians  and  of  the 
people  of  Sodom  and  Gomorrah,  why  does  it  not 
equally  prove  the  same  doom  for  Moses  and  Aaron? 
But  it  is  contended  that  the  mere  fact  that  the  for- 


S4   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

mer  suffered  death  as  a  judgment  from  God,  proves 
their  endless  suffering — and  yet  it  is  supposed  that 
in  regard  to  the  latter  the  same  fact  does  not  prove 
that  they  suffered  one  moment  after  death!  We 
confess  that  we  have  no  liking  for  such  consisten- 
cy in  argument  ! 

The  reader  will  recollect  that  Abraham  plead 
with  God  to  spare  the  lives  of  the  men  of  Sodom 
and  Gomorrah.  A  wise  man  never  overlooks  the 
greater  calamity,  while  he  weeps  and  mourns 
over  one  of  less  magnitude.  And  if  those  ungod- 
ly people  were  really  plunged  into  a  state  of  inter- 
minable wretchedness,  what  are  we  to  think  of 
Abraham  for  pleading  that  their  lives  might  be 
spared,  and  yet  manifesting  no  manner  of  concern 
about  the  salvation  of  their  immortal  souls  from 
endless  misery?  The  only  fair  and  just  conclu- 
sion is,  that  he  prayed  for  the  deliverance  of  the 
people  from  the  greatest  evil  to  which  they  were  ex- 
posed— and  that  evil  actually  came  upon  them  in 
their  utter  destruction  from  the  earth  ! 

Every  body  will  freely  grant  that  there  can  be 
no  greater  punishment  than  that  of  endless  misery. 
Such  being  the  fact,  if  we  can  prove  by  direct  and 
incontrovertible  testimony,  that  any  people  ever 
suffered  a  ^rea/er  punishment  than  that  of  the  men 
of  Sodom,  it  will  follow  of  necessity  that  their 
retribution  was  something  less  than  endless  tor- 
ment, to  say  the  least.  Hear  then  what  the  word 
of  the  Lord  has  said  in  reference  even  to  the  tem- 
poral  calamities  that  were  to  befall  the  people  of 
Israel.  Lam.  iv.  6.  "  For  the  punishment  of  the 
iniquity  of  the  daughter  of  my  people  is  greater 
(mark  the  expression)  is  greater  than  the  pun- 


RETRIBUTION.  85 

ishment  of  the  sin  of  Sodom,  that  was  overthrown 
as  in  a  moment,  and  no  hands  stayed  on  her." 
From  this  passage  it  is  perfectly  obvious,  not  mere- 
ly that  the  cities  of  the  plain  suffered  merely  tem- 
poral punishment,  but  also  that  greater  evils  than 
they  endured  were  to  be  experienced,  and  that  too 
in  the  present  life.  They  perished  as  in  a  moment, 
and  no  hands  stayed  on  them — while  the  people  of 
Israel  were  subjected  to  the  most  severe  and  pro- 
tracted sufferings.  And  hence  we  find  that  our 
Savior,  in  speaking  of  the  terrible  overthrow  of  Je- 
rusalem, declared  that  then  there  should  be  a  time 
of  trouble  such  as  never  had  been  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world,  and  such  as  shall  never  be 
known  again  ! 

The  most  then  that  we  are  authorized  by  the 
Scriptures  to  say  of  the  people  of  the  old  world  and 
of  the  cities  of  the  plain,  is,  that  they  suffered  a 
premature  and  a  violent  death  as  a  punishment  for 
their  sins — while  righteous  Noah  and  Lot  were 
spared  alive  as  monuments  of  divine  mercy.  And 
although  they  thus  perished,  they  were  still  in  the 
power  of  Him  who  is  Lord  both  of  the  living  and 
of  the  dead.  And  we  rejoice  to  believe  that  they 
will  finally  be  numbered  among  the  kindreds  of  the 
earth,  all  of  whom  shall  be  made  alive  in  Jesus 
Christ,  who  is  "the  Head  of  every  man" — the 
"Lord  of  all" — and  '*//ie  Savior  of  the  world.^^ 

8 


CHAPTER    VIII. 

RETRIBUTION  UNDER  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 
DISPENSATION. 

(continued.) 

The  aim  of  the  present  chapter  is  to  continue 
and  to  conclude  our  consideration  of  the  particular 
subject  to  which  the  last  was  devoted.  That  sub- 
ject is  Retribution  under  the  Old  Testament  Dis- 
pensation. We  have  already  proceeded  so  far  as 
to  bring  into  view  the  awful  judgment  that  de- 
stroyed the  cities  of  the  plain.  And  thus  far  we 
feel  justified  in  the  conclusion  that  no  record  has 
been  found  of  any  penal  retribution  in  eternity  for 
the  conduct  of  man  in  this  world. 

The  ancient  oracles  of  God,  however,  contain  a 
variety  of  passages  which  are  supposed  plainly  to 
teach  that  the  recompense  for  human  actions  did 
extend  into  the  future  life,  and  was  pronounced 
upon  the  highest  authority  to  be  of  endless  dura- 
tion. A  few  of  the  strongest  passages  of  this  char- 
acter will  be  brought  under  review  in  the  present 
chapter.  And  if  they  fail  to  furnish  the  proof 
which  our  opposers  claim  to  find  in  them,  we  shall 
not  think  it  presumptuous  to  conclude  that  all 
others  of  like  meaning  are  equally  insufficient  to 
prove  that  rewards  and  punishments  in  the  olden 
time  were  suspended  in  this  vi^orld,  to  be  admin- 
istered in  the  spiritual  and  immortal  life. 

86 


RETRIBUTION.  87 

The  simple  declaration  of  Solomon,  Proverbs 
xi.  31,  "  Behold,  the  righteous  shall  be  recom- 
pensed in  the  earth  much  more  the  wicked  and  the 
sinner,"  seems  to  have  not  only  a  direct,  but  a  most 
important  bearing  upon  the  whole  subject  of  our 
present  investigation.  We  can  think  of  no  pas- 
sage in  all  the  Old  Testament  that  speaks  more 
plainly  concerning  the  rewards  of  righteousness 
and  the  punishments  of  sin.  Its  meaning  need  not 
be  sought  by  any  lengthened  train  of  logical  argu- 
ment, or  by  any  far-fetched  inferences — for  nothing 
could  be  more  obvious  and  free  from  all  ambiguity. 
The  wayfaring  man,  though  a  fool,  could  hardly 
mistake  the  meaning  of  this  declaration  ;  ''Behold^ 
the  righteous  shall  he  recompensed  in  the  earth  : 
much  more  the  wicked  and  the  sinner,^^  No  less 
than  six  distinct  propositions  are  here  expressed — 
and  we  believe  them  all.  And  they  briefly,  but 
most  clearly  and  certainly  comprehend  the  entire 
doctrine  of  the  Old  Testament  in  regard  to  the  re- 
wards of  righteousness  and  the  punishments  of  sin. 
1.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  righteousness  among 
men.  2.  There  is  such  a  thing  as  wickedness  in 
the  world.  3.  There  is  a  recompense  for  the 
righteous.  4.  There  is  a  recompense  for  the  wick- 
ed. 5.  The  recompense  of  the  righteous  is  in 
the  earth.  And  6.  The  recompense  of  the  wicked 
is  ill  the  earth. 

Now,  aside  from  all  the  traditions  and  com- 
mandments of  men,  such  is  the  plain  doctrine  of  the 
declaration  before  us — and  it  is  a  doctrine  which 
harmonizes  in  every  respect  with  the  whole  tenor 
of  the  ancient  Scriptures.  We  shall  find  in  them 
the  record  of  no  reward  or  punishment,  conferred 


88  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRtNE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

or  inflicted  in  any  other  than  the  present  state  of 
existence.  The  reward  of  righteousness  and  the 
punishment  of  sin  were  administered  in  the  earth— 
but  we  are  not  informed  that  they  extend  in  any 
case  into  the  unseen  world.  And  whatever  alarm- 
ing apprehensions  may  be  indulged  by  those  who 
would  be  considered  the  conservators  and  guardi- 
ans of  all  true  religion  and  pure  moraUty,  in  refer- 
ence to  the  subject  now  before  us,  we  do  not  feel 
authorizedby  any  pretence  whatever,  to  go  beyond 
the  word  of  the  Lord  to  say  more  or  less  ! 

We  are  not  to  inquire  concerning  what  doctrine 
is  the  best  suited  to  the  condition  and  wants  of 
man — the  best  adapted  to  restrain  the  evil  pas- 
sions of  his  nature — and  the  most  certain  to  exert 
a  healthful  moral  influence  upon  the  world.  In 
reference  to  these  things  great  diversities  of  opin- 
ion prevail — and  we  grant  that  they  reasonably 
claim  the  serious  attention  of  every  man.  But  this 
is  not  the  proper  place  for  the  discussion  of  these 
matters.  The  moral  tendency  of  doctrines  does  not 
come  within  the  scope  of  our  present  labors.  Nor 
need  we  here  attempt  to  ofl'er  our  views  concern- 
ing the  state  of  the  dead,  showing  what  we  be- 
lieve to  be  the  condition  of  man  immediately  after 
the  death  of  the  body.  These  things  present  very 
suitable  subjects  for  human  investigation.  But 
they  do  not  belong  to  the  subject  now  before  us. 
And  if  we  would  ever  come  to  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth,  we  should  endeavor  to  confine  our 
thoughts  to  one  subject  at  a  time. 

The  simple  question  now  before  us  relates  to 
what  the  Scriptures  say  touching  the  subject  of  re- 
tribution under  the  olden  dispensation.     And  it  is 


RETRIBUTIOX.  89 

not  for  me  or  for  any  other  person  to  set  up  his  own 
private  opinion,  not  sanctioned  by  the  law  and  the 
prophets,  in  regard  to  the  inducements  and  prohi- 
bitions that  should  have  been  presented  to  the  an- 
cient people  of  God,  in  order  to  restrain  them  from 
vice,  and  to  guide  them  into  the  ways  of  virtue  and 
hoUness.  It  is  sufficient  that  we  know  what  mo- 
lives  were  presented  to  their  minds  to  shun  the  way 
of  the  transgressors,  and  to  obey  the  command- 
ments of  God.  And  having  fully  and  satisfactorily 
ascertained  this  fact,  neither  a  Christian  spirit  nor 
becoming  modesty  will  suffer  any  man  daringly  to 
assert  that  some  other  kind  of  discipline  would 
have  been  more  salutary  in  its  influence,  and  pro- 
ductive of  more  happy  consequences  in  the  world! 
After  all  the  extravagant  encomiums  that  have 
been  lavished  upon  the  heathen  dogma  of  endless 
misery,  its  healthful  moral  influence  is  not  only  ex- 
tremely questionable,  but,  we  think,  positively  dis- 
proved by  facts.  We  shall  find  on  reviewing  the  his- 
tory of  the  Christian  Church,  that  in  the  darkest  and 
most  corrupt  periods  of  its  existence,  this  doctrine 
prevailed  to  the  greatest  extent,  and  consequently 
exerted  its  mightiest  influence  upon  the  human  heart. 
The  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation,  as  taught  by 
Jesus  Christ  and  his  apostles,  was  publicly  con- 
demned by  the  arbitrary  decree  of  a  General  Coun- 
cil of  the  Church,  at  Constantinople,  in  the  year 
553.  From  that  unhappy  day  to  the  16th  century, 
a  period  of  nearly  a  thousand  years,  the  powers  of 
darkness  prevailed,  and  the  saving  and  sanctifying 
doctrine  of  endless  misery  was  allowed  freely  to 
wield  all  its  mighty  and  redeeming:  energies  over 
the  hearts  of  men.  And  what  was  the  state  of 
8* 


90   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

public  morals  and  of  private  virtue  during  all  that 
undisturbed  reign  of  a  doctrine  so  highly  extolled 
for  its  saving  and  redeeming  powers  ?  Crime,  pol- 
lution and  blood  were  the  marks  of  the  Church — 
and  modest  virtue  and  pure  religion  were  almost 
unknown. 

But  since  the  deadly  spell  was  broken  by  the 
great  Reformation,  the  light  and  saving  power  of 
divine  truth  have  been  gradually  extending  their 
benign  influence  throughout  the  whole  Christian 
church.  And  knowledge,  virtue,  refinement  and 
genuine  religion  have  been  promoted  in  the  world 
in  exact  proportion  to  the  advances  of  all  denomi- 
nations toward  the  doctrine  and  principles  of  uni- 
versal benevolence !  Wherever  mental  freedom 
and  general  intelligence  are  found  to  prevail,  the 
antiquated  and  barbarous  dogmas  of  the  church 
loose  their  hold  upon  the  human  mind — and  the 
morals  and  the  happiness  of  society  are  consequent- 
ly improved.  And  we  certainly  think  that  in  view 
of  these  facts — facts  which  none  can  gainsay — the 
advocates  of  that  doctrine  which  puts  off  rewards 
and  punishments  to  a  distant  and  hereafter  state  of 
being,  and  represents  them  as  being  extremely  un- 
certain withal,  should  at  least  speak  with  some  de- 
gree of  modesty  concerning  its  wonderfully  moral 
tendency  and  sanctifying  effects.     But  we  wander. 

The  peculiar  phraseology  of  the  passage  in  Pro- 
verbs, to  which  we  have  referred,  may  require  a 
word  of  explanation.  It  would  seem  that  no  per- 
son could  fail  to  understand  its  general  meaning. 
But  some  persons  may  possibly  be  unable  to  de- 
termine what  is  signified  by  the  expression  "  much 
more?^     "  The  righteous  shall  be  recompensed  in 


RETRIBUTION.  91 

the  earth  :  much  more  the  wicked  and  the  sinner." 
It  may  be  thought  that  the  recompeuse  of  the  sinner 
was  to  be  much  greater  than  that  of  the  righteous. 
But  a  reference  to  this  phrase  as  used  in  other  parts 
of  the  Scriptures,  will  lead  to  a  very  different^con- 
clusion.  Our  Savior  said  to  his  disciples — '*  If 
God  so  clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day 
is,  and  to-morrow  is  cast  into  the  oven,  shall  he  not 
much  more  cloth  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith  ?'^  Here 
a  plain  fact  is  first  stated,  namely,  that  God  does 
clothe  the  grass  of  the  field — and  the  expression 
much  more  was  not  intended  to  contradict  or  even 
to  weaken  the  force  of  this  fact,  but  simply  to  ren- 
der the  declaration  more  emphatic  that  God  would 
certainly  clothe  the  disciples  of  his  Son.  We  may 
notice  one  more  instance  of  this  kind.  Jesus  said 
to  his  hearers — "  If  ye,  then,  being  evil,  know  how 
to  give  good  gifts  to  your  children,  how  much 
MORE  shall  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  give 
good  things  to  them  that  ask  him  ?"  The  fact  is 
here  plainly  admitted  that  earthly  parents  do  give 
good  gifts  to  their  children.  And  from  this  fact  it 
is  argued  that  God,  with  infinitely  greater  benevo- 
lence, will  certainly  bestow  good  things  upon  them 
that  ask  him.  But  it  would  be  extremely  unrea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  one  fact  was  introduced  to 
disprove  the  other. 

In  the  light  of  these  passages  the  meaning  of  the 
declaration  before  us  is  easily  understood.  The 
righteous  are  recompensed  i7i  the  earth — and  cer- 
tainly  the  wicked  and  the  sinner  are  also  thus  re- 
compensed. Dr.  A.  Clarke  renders  the  original  of 
this  place,  "Behold,  to  the  righteous  it  shall  be  re- 
turned on  the  earth ;  and  also  to  the  wicked  and 


92    UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

the  transgressor."  Note  on  1st  Peter  iv.  18.  Both 
classes  were  to  receive  according  to  their  works — 
and  the  recompense  was  to  be  administered  in  the 
earth.  And  the  same  doctrine  is  declared  in  terms 
no  less  positive  and  unequivocal  in  many  other 
parts  of  the  ancient  Scriptures.  We  may  barely 
notice  a  {qw  passages  of  this  character.  The 
Psalmist  says,  *'  Verily  there  is  a  reward  for  the 
righteous  ;  verily  he  is  a  God  that  judgeih  in  the 
earth.''''  And  Jehovah  himself  says  in  the  9th  chap- 
ter of  Jeremiah, "  I  am  the  Lord  which  exercise 
loving  kindness,  judgment  and  righteousness  in 
the  earth.^^  These  passages,  with  others  of  like 
meaning,  that  could  be  cited,  conclusively  show  that 
the  present  world  was  considered  a  state  of  retri- 
bution— and  that  here  the  judgments  of  the  Lord 
were  executed  in  rewarding  the  virtuous  and  in 
punishing  the  vicious. 

In  attempting  to  examine  the  particular  passages 
before  referred  to,  we  shall  avail  ourselves  of  the 
concessions  of  our  opposers.  We  have  a  right 
to  employ  their  acknowledgments  as  arguments  on 
our  side  of  the  question.  Men  do  not  admit  facts 
that  bear  against  their  own  favorite  theories,  until 
the  evidence  becomes  too  strong  to  be  resisted. 
And  such  admissions  coming  from  men  of  sound 
learning  and  deep  research,  furnish  no  inconsid- 
erable proof  against  their  own  doctrines.  All  such 
j)roof,  however,  will  be  considered  only  as  colla- 
teral. 

1st.  The  first  passage  to  which  we  shall  direct 
our  attention  is  found  in  Deut.  xxxii.  22,  and  reads 
thus  : — "  For  a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger,  and 
shall  burn  unto  the    loinest  hcll.^^     This  text  has 


RETRIBUTION.  93 

been  regarded  as  a  most  awful  threatening  of  the  ter- 
rible woes  that  awaited  the  wicked  and  rebeUious 
Israehtes  in  the  future   and  spiritual  world.     And 
it  has  been  supposed  that  they  were  to  sink  into 
the  lowest  depths  of  that  awful  pit  of  perdition, 
where  there  are  sufferings  so  intense  and  excruti- 
ating,  and  of  such  fearful  horrors,  as  eye  hath  not 
seen,   nor  ear  heard,  nor   the  heart  of  man  ever 
been  able  to  conceive.     But  though  the  sound  of 
these  words  has  become  as  shocking  to  many  ears 
as  the  fabled  clanking  of  the  prisoner's  chains  in 
hell,  we  can  find  nothing  in  the  connexion  of  this 
passage  to  warrant  any  such  exposition.  Nay,  we 
are  there  furnished  with  abundant  proof  that  the 
threatened  punishment  was  to  be  endured  in  this 
world.     Let  us  read  the  connexion  of  the  passage. 
"  For  a  fire  is  kindled  in  mine  anger,  and  shall  burn 
unto  the  lowest  hell,  and  shall  consume  the  earth 
for  land]  with  her  increase,  and  set   on   fire   the 
foundations  of  the  mountains.     I   will  heap  mis- 
chiefs upon  them  :  I  will  spend  mine  arrows  upon 
them.     They  shall  be  burnt  with  hunger,  and  de- 
voured   with  burning  heat,  and  with    bitter  de- 
struction :  I  will  also  send  the  teeth  of  beasts  upon 
them,  with  the  poison  o{  serpents  of  the  dust.  The 
sword  without,  and  terror  within,  shall  destroy  both 
the  young  man  and  the  virgin,   the  suckling  also, 
with  the  man  of  gray  hairs.'-' 

And  shall  we  suppose  that  the  teeth  of  beasts, 
the  poison  of  serpents  of  the  dust,  and  the  sword  of 
the  conquering  ivarrior  will  be  made  the  instru- 
ment of  horrid  tortures  to  immortalized  sufferers 
in  the  world  of  spirits  ?  And  in  that  miserable 
throng,  disowned  and  tormented  of  God,  will  there 


94    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

be  found  tlie  tender  suckling  with  the  man  of  gray 
hairs  ?  A  doctrine  that  cannot  be  sustained  with- 
out substituting  such  wild  fancies  for  sohd  proof,  is 
unworthy  of  the  beUef  of  any  thinking  being.  And 
if,  to  justify  their  construction  of  this  passage,  our 
opponents  assert  that  the  instruments  of  punish- 
ments here  named  merely  represent  the  outpourings 
of  terrible  vengeance  in  eternity,  we  have  only  to 
remind  them  that  this  assertion,  though  very  easily 
uttered,  requires /^roo/" that  has  never  yet  been  fur- 
nished ? 

As  to  the  phrase  "  the  lowest  hell,"  we  find  it 
used  in  such  a  manner  as  seems  altogether  to  pre- 
clude its  reference  to  the  spiritual  state  of  existence, 
while  it  manifestly  confines  its  application  to  the 
concerns  of  this  life.  In  view  of  his  happy  deliv- 
erance from  a  condition  of  extreme  debasement 
and  suffering,  David  thus  rendered  thanksgiving  to 
God — "  Great  is  thy  mercy  toward  me  :  and  thou 
hast  delivered  my  soul  from  the  lowest  hell.^'  If 
then,  David  could  be  in  the  lowest  hell  without  suf- 
fering immortal  pains  beyond  death,  there  seems 
to  be  no  necessity  in  the  nature  of  the  case,  for  sup- 
posing that  the  Israelites  to  whom  we  have  referred, 
could  not  sufi'er  the  like  punishment  in  the  present 
mode  of  existence. 

And  in  view  of  these  considerations,  the  only 
thing  that  excites  our  astonishment  in  the  follow- 
ing important  concession  of  Dr.  Clarke,  is  his  un- 
usual candor.  In  commenting  on  the  passage  in 
Deut.,  before  cited,  he  says,"  The  lowest  hell — the 
very  deepest  destruction;  a  total  extermination,  so 
that  the  earth,  their  land,  and  its  increasej  and  all 
their  property,  should  be  seized,  and  the  foun- 


RKTRIEUTION.  95 

dations  of  their  mountains,  their  strongest  for- 
tresses, should  be  razed  to  the  ground.  All  this  was 
fulfilled  in  a  most  remarkable  manner  in  the  last 
destruction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans  :  so  that 
of  the  fortifications  of  that  city  not  one  stone  was 
left  on  another." 

We  take  our  leave  of  this  passage  with  the  sin- 
gle remark,  that  people  must  feel  that  they  are  hard 
pressed  for  proofs  of  a  favorite  doctrine  when  they 
will  eagerly  seize  upon  a  text  which  relates  only 
to  temporal  judgments  in  the  earth,  and  without 
any  proper  regard  for  its  connexion  and  obvious 
meaning,  insist  upon  applying  it  to  the  concerns  of 
another  world  ! 

2d.  There  is  a  passage  in  the  9th  Psalm,  which 
has  been  quoted  times  without  numher  as  a  proof- 
text  of  the  strongest  kind  in  favor  of  the  graceless 
dogma  of  infinite  sufferings  for  a  vast  proportion 
of  the  human  race.  *^  77*6  ivicked  shall  be  turned 
info  hell,  and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God.^^ 
Now  it  is  easily  perceived  that  the  entire  proof 
drawn  from  this  passage  rests  upon  one  word — 
hell  If  the  Psalmist  had  merely  said,  the  wicked 
nations  icho  forget  God  shall  he  cut  off  from  the 
earth,  no  one  would  have  supposed  him  to  counte- 
nance the  doctrine  in  question.  And  it  strikes  our 
mind  that  the  opposer  assumes  entirely  too  much, 
when  he  confidently  takes  it  for  granted  that  this 
simple  word  must  denote  a  state  of  ceaseless  and 
immortal  sufferings  beyond  death.  Its  literal  mean- 
ing, according  to  the  consent  of  candid  persons, 
and  agreeably  to  its  constant  usage  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, is  the  state  of  the  dead  in  general.  Hence 
Jacob   declared    that  he  would  go  down  to    hell. 


96    UNIVERSALISM, 

where  he  hoped  to  meet  his  son  Joseph,  whom  he 
supposed  to  have  been  slain  of  wild  beasts.  And 
hence  also  we  read  that  Christ's  soul  was  not  left 
in  kell.  But  the  same  word  is  also  used  figura- 
tively^ to  denote  great  sorrow  and  distress  and  pun- 
ishment for  sin — as  when  David  said,  "  the  sor- 
rows oihell  compassed  me  about,"  and  "  the  pains 
of  hell  gat  hold  upon  me" — and  also  when  Christ 
said  to  Capernaum,  "  And  thou  which  art  exalted 
unto  heaven,  shalt  be  thrust  down  to  Ae//." 

Besides,  it  should  be  understood,  that  the  9th 
Psalm  was  a  hymn  of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  vic- 
tory over  the  heathen  enemies  of  Israel.  Mark 
the  language  of  the  Psalmist.  "The  heathen  are 
sunk  down  in  the  pit  that  they  have  made  :  in  the 
net  which  they  hid  is  their  own  foot  taken.  The 
Lord  is  known  by  the  judgment  which  he  ex- 
ecuteth  :  the  wicked  is  snared  in  the  work  of  his 
own  hands.  The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into  hell, 
and  all  the  nations  that  forget  God.  For  the  needy 
shall  not  always  be  forgotten  :  the  expectation  of 
the  poor  shall  not  perish  for  ever.  Arise,  O  Lord  ; 
let  not  man  prevail ;  let  the  heathen  be  judged  in 
thy  sight.  Put  them  in  fear,  0  Lord  ;  that  the 
nations  may  know  themselves  to  be  but  men." 

The  meaning  of  the  Psalmist,  we  think,  is  well 
expressed  by  the  learned  No  yes,  (who  will  not  be 
suspected  of  any  desire  to  favor  our  peculiar 
views,)  in  the  following  words — The  heathen  shall 
be  "  driven  into  scheol,  [hell,]  i.  e.  pursued  by  vic- 
torious enemies  till  they  are  destroyed."  And  Dr. 
Allen,  late  president  of  Bowdoin  College,  Maine, 
thus  speaks  in  his  published  Lectures  on  Universal 
Salvation,  and  in  reference  to  the  passage  now  un- 


RETRIBUTION.  97 

der  consideration — "  The  punishment  expressed, 
is  cutting  off  from  life,  destro^^ing  from  the  earth, 
by  some  special  judgment,  and  removing  to  the 
invisible  state  of  the  dead.  The  term  [scheol]  does 
not  seem  to  mean  with  certainty  any  thing  more 
than  the  state  of  the  dead  in  their  deep  abode.'' 
And  we  may  add  to  all  this  that  the  Psalmist's  ex- 
ultation over  the  enemies  that  had  fallen,  and  his 
declaration  that  the  judgments  of  God  would  still 
pursue  the  enemies  of  Israel,  and  cut  them  off  from 
the  land  of  the  living,  should  hardly  be  deemed 
conclusive  proof  of  the  notion  that  immortal  suf- 
ferings were  denounced  against  any  soul  of  man  ! 

3d.  We  next  present  a  passage  from  the  33d 
chapter  of  Isaiah.  "Who  among  us  shall  dwell 
with  the  devouring  fire  ?  Who  among  us  shall 
dwell  with  everlasting  burnings  ?"  Here,  it  is  said 
with  an  air  of  boasting  confidence,  that  we  have 
the  account  of  a  punishment  that  was  to  be  ever- 
lasting, and  which  must  therefore  have  extended 
into  a  state  of  being  that  is  without  end.  We  do 
not  doubt  that  this  notion  is  most  sincerely  be- 
lieved— but  we  feel  quite  confident  that  its  believers 
leap  to  the  conclusion  without  stopping  to  consid- 
er i\\Q  premises.  And  the  doctrine  before  us  is  not 
derived  from  the  passage,  but  the  passage  is 
violently  warped  and  twisted  to  make  it  suit  the 
doctrine. 

Now  there  is  hardly  a  fact  stated  in  the  Scrip- 
tures that  is  susceptible  of  stronger  and  more 
abundant  proof,  than  that  the  word  everlasting  \s 
commonly  applied  to  things  having  both  their  be- 
ginning and  their  end  in  this  world.  The  posses- 
sion of  the  land  of  Canaan  by  the  Jews,  was  called 


98  UNIVEKSALISMj  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BI13LE. 

everlasting — so  was  the  priesthood  of  Aaron — and 
so  also  was  the  covenant  of  circumcision.  All  these 
things  and  many  more  that  might  be  mentioned, 
commenced  and  closed  in  this  state  of  being.  And 
in  whatever  sense  the  word  everlasting  may  now 
be  used,  we  are  concerned  only  with  its  Scriptural 
signification. 

Besides,  it  deserves  to  be  particularly  noticed 
that  the  passage  now  under  consideration  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  form  of  a  question — and  perhaps  the 
answer  which  follows  may  throw  some  light  upon 
its  true  meaning.  "Who  among  us  shall  dwell 
with  the  devouring  fire  ?  Who  among  us  shall 
dwell  with  everlasting  burnings?"  Such  lan- 
guage, rudely  severed  from  its  proper  connexion^ 
and  without  any  reference  to  the  response  imme- 
diately succeeding,  is  quite  unintelligible.  And  if 
we  would  know  any  thing  of  what  was  intended, 
we  should  exercise  a  little  patience,  and  attend  to- 
the  answer,  instead  of  trying  to  be  satisfied  with 
the  mere  sound  of  words,  and  then  flying  off  to 
something  else.  The  prophet  gives  the  true  answer 
in  these  words: — ^'■He  that  walketh  righteously, 
and  speaketh  uprightly  ;  he  thatdespiseth  the  gain 
of  oppressions,  that  shakethhis  hands  from  holding 
of  bribes,  that  stoppeth  his  ears  from  hearing  of 
blood,  and  shutteth  his  eyes  from  seeing  evil.  H^ 
shall  dwell  on  high :  his  place  of  defence  shall  be 
the  munitions  of  rocks  ;  bread  shall  be  given  him, 
his  waters  shall  be  sure."  Such  was  the  man 
who  was  promised  security  from  danger  and  harm 
amid  the  most  terrible  judgments  of  God  against 
the  hypocrites  and  sinners  in  Zion — and  which 
judgments  were  represented  by  devouring  fire  and 


RETRIBUTION.  99 

everlasting  burnings.  Though  Uving  among  the 
wicked  during  the  time  of  their  punishment,  the 
good  man,  walking  righteously  and  speaking  up- 
rightly, should  still  be  protected  in  his  integrity,  and 
pass  unharmed  through  every  fiery  trial.  Here, 
then,  we  have  the  plain  meaning  of  the  prophet  as 
exhibited  in  the  answer  to  his  own  question.  And 
he  who  can  find  any  thing  in  this  passage  in  proof 
of  merciless  penal  sufferings  in  the  future  world, 
must  have  powers  of  perception  rarely  found  among 
men,  and  far  from  being  desirable  in  any. 

4th.  We  shall  notice  but  one  more  passage  from 
the  Old  Testament,  supposed  to  be  at  variance  with 
the  positions  which  we  have  assumed.  Many  per- 
sons would  no  doubt  regard  it  as  a  most  desperate 
act  to  attempt  to  expound  such  a  passage  consist- 
ently with  the  doctrine  which  holds  that  under  the 
old  dispensation,  the  recompense  of  righteousness 
and  the  punishment  of  sin  were  administered  in  the 
earth.  But  we  are  not  to  be  held  accountable  for 
all  the  strange  things  which  people  please  to  fancy — 
and  the  only  object  of  our  search  is  truth.  The  pas- 
sage referred  to  iscontaineS  in  the  12th  Chapter  of 
Daniel,  and  reads  thus  : — "  And  many  of  them  that 
sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth  shall  awake,  some  to 
everlasting  life,  and  some  to  shame  and  everlasting 
contempt." 

Perhaps  this  passage  is  relied  upon  with  greater 
assurance,  and  more  confidently  cited  to  substanti- 
ate the  doctrine  from  which  we  dissent,  than  any 
other  contained  in  the  Old  Testament.  We  wish 
not  to  be  presumptuous — nor  do  we  set  up  the 
claim  to  any  extraordinary  abilities  in  expounding 
the  sacred  oracles.     But  we  cannot  bow  submis- 


100  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

sively  to  the  opinions  of  the  majority,  and  beheve 
without  reason  or  proof,  and  against  the  testimony 
of  the  Scriptures.  And  we  only  ask  that  our  views 
and  the  reasons  by  which  they  are  sustained,  may 
be  weighed  in  the  balance  of  candor,  and  fairly 
tested  by  the  only  infallible  standard  of  truth. 

It  seems  not  to  occur  to  the  minds  of  those  who 
construe  the  passage  in  question  according  to  the 
popular  belief,  that  it  contains  a  prophecy — and 
that  the  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  has  been  de- 
clared by  him  who  spake  as  never  man  spake. 
Let  us  carefully  notice  the  connexion  of  the  pas- 
age  itself,  that  the  testimony  of  our  Lord  may  be 
clearly  understood.  Daniel  says,  "And  at  that  time 
shall  Michael  stand  up,  the  great  prince  which 
standeth  for  the  children  of  thy  people ;  and  there 
shall  be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since 
there  was  a  nation  even  to  that  same  time  :  and 
at  that  time  thy  people  shall  be  delivered,  every 
one  that  shall  be  found  written  in  the  book.  And 
many  of  them  that  sleep  in  the  dust  of  the  earth 
shall  awake,  some  to  everlasting  life,  and  some  to 
shame  and  everlasting  contempt.^'  And  in  a  sub- 
sequent part  of  the  same  chapter,  the  tim^e  is  again 
stated  to  be,  "  when  he  shall  have  accomplished  to 
scatter  the  power  of  the  holy  people,  all  these 
things  shall  be  finished." 

Now  let  us  be  careful  to  notice  the  following 
declarations  of  our  Lord  in  the  24th  chapter  of 
Matthew,  concerning  the  destrnction  of  the  holy 
city,  and  the  scattering  of  the  power  of  the  ancient 
people  of  God  :  "  When  ye  therefore,  shall  see  the 
abomination  of  desolation,  spoken  of  by  Daniel  the 
prophet,  stand  in   the  holy  place,  (whoso  readeth 


RETRIBUTION.  101 

let  him  understand,)  then  let  them  which  be  in 
Judea  flee  into  the  mountains:  Let  him  which  is 
on  the  house  top  not  come  down  to  take  anything 
out  of  his  house  :  Neither  let  him  which  is  in  the 
field  return  back  to  take  his  clothes.  *  *  *  But  pray- 
that  your  flight  be  not  in  the  winter,  neither  on 
the  sabbath-day  :  For  then  (mark  the  very  lan- 
guage of  the  prophet  Daniel)  for  then  shall  be 
great  tribtilatien,  such  as  was  not  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world  to  this  limey  7io  nor  ever  shall  beV 

Here,  then,  we  find  a  positive  declaration  of  the 
fulfilment  of  Daniel's  prediction  at  a  time  which  is 
now  past.  It  referred  to  the  time  when  the  power 
of  the  holy  people  should  be  scattered,  and  the 
abomination  that  maketh  desolate  should  be  set  up 
in  the  holy  place.  That  time  did  come — and  the 
prophecy  was  accomplished  to  the  very  letter. 

And  that  the  holy  people,  or  the  people  of  God 
who  were  called  holy  without  reference  to  charac- 
ter, should  be  represented  as  sleeping  in  the  dust 
of  the  earthy  need  excite  no  surprise,  when  we  re- 
flect that  Ezekiel  declared  the  same  people  to  be 
in  their  graves,  when  they  were  captives  in  Baby- 
lon— and  gave  them  the  assurance  that  they 
should  be  brought  up  out  of  their  graves,  and  re- 
instated in  their  own  land.  Ezekiel  xxxvii. 
Isaiah  called  upon  Zion,  or  the  ancient  Church  of 
God,  to  arise  and  shake  herself /rom  the  dust  of  the 
earth — that  is,  to  arise  from  her  slumbering  and 
degraded  condition.  The  whole  house  of  Israel 
thus  slept  in  the  dust  of  the  earth,  when  the  Son  of 
God  came  to  execute  judgment  in  the  earth.  And 
while  some  came  forth  at  the  sound  of  the  Gospel 
to  the   enjoyment  of  that  everlasting   life,    which 


102    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

consists  in  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ — others  arose  to  the  judgment  of  con- 
demnation, and  to  the  suffering  of  shame  and  ever- 
lasting contempt ! 

We  have  now  briefly,  but  we  trust  fairly  con- 
sidered a  number  of  the  principal  texts  of  the  Old 
Testament,  which  are  supposed  to  prove  that  it 
threatened  man  with  punishment  in  the  immortal 
world  for  the  sins  of  the  present  Ufe.  And  we  have 
found  that  they  all  utterly  fail  to  yield  any  such 
proof.  They  are  wrested  from  their  proper  con- 
nexion, and  applied  to  a  subject  to  which  they 
bear  no  necessary  relation,  when  used  for  the  sup- 
port of  this  doctrine.  We  have  not  attempted  to 
discuss  the  question  whether  there  will  be  penal 
sufferings  in  the  future  world  for  the  sins  of  the 
present  life.  We  have  only  aimed  to  show  what 
the  Scriptures  of  the  Old  Testament  taught  in  re- 
gard to  rewards  and  punishments  for  human  con- 
duct. And  in  view  of  all  that  has  been  said,  we 
cannot  avoid  the  conclusion  that  Dr.  Jahn  testified 
truly  when  he  said  in  314th  section  of  his  Biblical 
Archaeology  :  "  We  have  not  authority,  therefore, 
decidedly  to  say  that  any  other  motives  were  held 
out  to  the  ancient  Hebrews  to  pursue  the  good  and 
to  avoid  the  evil,  than  those  which  were  derived 
from  the  rewards  and  punishments  of  this  life. 
That  these  wem  the  motives,  which  were  present- 
ed to  their  minds  in  order  to  influence  them  to  pur- 
sue a  right  course  of  conduct,  is  expressly  asserted 
in  Is.  26  :  9,  10,  and  may  be  learnt  also  from  the 
imprecations,  which  are  met  with,  in  many  parts 
of  the  Old  Testament." 

There  is  one  important  consideration  connected 


RETRIBUTION.  103 

with  our  subject,  which  we  desire  briefly  to  no- 
tice before  we  conchide.  St.  Paul  says  in  the  2d 
chapter  of  his  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews,  "  For  if  the 
word  spoken  by  angels  (that  is,  the  law,  which 
Stephen  says  was  received  '  by  the  disposition  of 
angels^)  was  steadfast,  and  every  transgression  and 
disobedience  received  a  just  recompense  of  reward, 
how  shall  we  escape,  if  we  neglect  so  great  salva- 
tion ?"  The  fact  is  here  most  plainly  asserted  that 
under  the  law  of  Moses,  every  transgression  and 
disobedience  received  a  just  recompense  of  re- 
ward— that  is,  a  recompense  proportionate  to  the 
deeds  of  every  transgression.  And  pray  who  need 
be  told  that  that  recompense  must  have  been  limit- 
ed in  duration,  or  else  it  could  not  have  been  re- 
ceived in  full? 

That  the  recompense  of  which  the  apostle 
speaks  did  not  extend  into  another  state  of  being, 
will  appear  still  more  evident  when  we  consider 
that  God  would  not  inflict  upon  his  ancient  people 
a  punishment  of  which  he  never  apprised  them — 
and  when  we  reflect  that  our  Savior  brought  life 
and  immortality  to  light  through  the  Gospel.  A  fu- 
ture state  of  being  was  not,  therefore,  fully  revealed 
to  the  world  under  the  Old  Testament  Dispensation. 
And  the  distinguished  Dr.  Campbell,  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church,  has  said,  "  It  is  plain  that  in  the 
Old  Testament  the  most  prof ound  silence  is  observed 
in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  deceased,  their  joy  or 
sorrow,  their  happiness  or  misery."  This  state- 
ment is  true,  if  it  means  (as  we  suppose  it  does) 
that  nothing  was  said  in  the  Old  Testament  in  re- 
gard to  the  particular  condition  of  man  in  the  future 
life.     And  who  is  prepared  to  assert  that  rewards 


104    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE   OF  THE   BIBLE. 

and  punishments  beyond  death  were  taught  in  a 
book  which  was  confessedly  written  before  the  im- 
mortal state  of  being  and  the  condition  of  man  in 
eternity  were  fully  brought  to  light  through  the 
Gospel  of  Christ  ? 

In  conclusion,  we  shall  briefly  notice  an  objec- 
tion that  may  be  urged  against  the  argument  of  the 
chapter.  It  may  be  said  "that  if  man  was  destined 
to  a  resurrection  from  the  dead  into  immortality 
before  the  immortal  state  of  being  was  fully  re- 
vealed in  the  Gospel,  some  of  our  race  might  be 
made  happy  and  others  miserable  after  death,  ac- 
cording to  their  conduct  while  in  the  flesh — and 
that  the  Gospel  might,  therefore,  have  made  reve- 
lations of  future  punishment,  as  well  as  of  future  hap- 
piness." In  view  of  this  objection  we  remark,  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  show  the  justice  of  God  in 
dooming  his  creatures  to  a  punishment  of  which 
he  never  warned  them.  And  we  should  be  slow 
of  heart  to  ascribe  to  him  the  procedure  of  con- 
demning men  to  penal  sufferings  beyond  death,  at 
a  time  when  his  word  "  observed  the  most  pro- 
found silence  in  regard  to  the  state  of  the  deceased!" 
That  God  should  have  designed  man  for  the  enjoy- 
ment of  the  immortal  and  heavenly  inheritance,  is 
consistent  alike  with  justice  and  goodness — for  that 
inheritance  is  not  the  recompense  of  works,  but  the 
free  gift  of  divine  grace.  Man  has  no  power  over 
it — and  God  revealed  the  resurrection  and  spirit- 
ual state  of  glory,  just  when  it  was  proper  in  the 
plan  of  his  government  that  such  knowledge 
should  be  communicated  to  man. 

Besides,  it  should  be  well  understood  and  never 
forgotten,  that  the  Gospel  is  expressly  called  a  new 


RETRIBUTION.  105 

and  better  covenant  than  the  legal,  because  estab- 
lished upon  better  promises — and  720^  because  it 
reveals  dreadful  and  horrible  evils  that  were  alto- 
gether unknown  to  the  old  dispensation.  It  de- 
clares that  God  "is  the  Savior  of  all  men."  And 
its  clear  testimony  in  regard  to  the  future  and  im- 
mortal life  is  "  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so 
IN  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive.'' 


CHAPTER    IX. 
GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

In  this  chapter,  which  will  be  the  last  relating 
particularly  to  the  Old  Testament,  we  shall  en- 
deavor to  prove  that  the  ancient  Scriptures  pro- 
mised the  final  holiness  and  happiness  of  the  whole 
human  race.  The  reader  of  the  preceding  chap- 
ter may  be  somewhat  astonished  that  we  should 
now  attempt  to  defend  such  a  position.  We  have 
maintained  that  the  state  of  man  in  the  future  and 
immortal  life  was  not  fully  revealed  until  the  intro- 
duction of  the  gospel  dispensation.  And  we  now 
propose  to  show  that  the  olden  Scriptures  did  pro- 
mise the  ultimate  blessedness  of  all  mankind  in  the 
heavenly  nature  of  Jesus  Christ,  beyond  mortality 
and  death.  At  first  view  their  seems  here  to  be  a 
manifest  contradiction — and  no  doubt  it  will  ap- 
pear to  some  minds  entirely  impossible  to  maintain 
and  harmonize  these  two  apparently  conflicting 
positions. 

The  fact  that  the  final  condition  of  man  in  the 
future  and  immortal  state  of  existence  was  not  fully 
revealed  to  the  world  under  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  is  now  very  generally  admitted,  and 
we  think  may  be  considered  incontrovertible.  And 
this  fact  need  not  be  denied  or  concealed  in  order 
to  establish  the  position  which  we  have  assumed. 
For  although  the  Old  Testament  promised  a  future 
106 


GOSrEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    107 

and  happy  life  for  the  human  family  in  the  second 
man,  who  is  the  quickening  spirit,  its  meaning  was 
never  clearly  understood  in  all  its  fulness  and  ex- 
tent, until  the  great  "  Sun  of  Righteousness"  arose 
in  the  brightness  of  his  glory,  and  shed  upon  its 
pages  a  new  and  heavenly  light.  On  the  subject 
of  man's  immortality,  or  his  condition  in  the  im- 
mortal state,  the  Old  Testament  may  be  represent- 
ed by  the  figure  of  the  moon  in  the  heavens,  which 
is  dark  of  itself,  but  which  glows  with  a  clear  and 
bright  lustre  "  when  shining  with  reflected  light." 
And  as  seen  in  the  bright  effulgence  of  the  gospel 
revelation,  that  ancient  book  is  found  to  abound 
with  great  and  precious  promises  of  salvation — 
promises  which  not  only  extend  beyond  death,  but 
which  also  embrace  the  final  glory  and  bliss  of  the 
vast  family  of  Adam ! 

The  New  Testament  plainly  declares  that  our 
Savior,  Jesus  Christ,  hath  brought  life  and  immor- 
tahty  to  li^kt  through  the  Gospel.  2d  Tim.  i.  10.  It 
is  therefore  plain  that  this  great  revelation  of  truth 
was  not  fully  made  known  until  the  "  more  ex- 
cellent ministry"  of  our  Redeemer  was  instituted 
in  the  earth.  And  yet  we  find  that  in  addressing 
the  Sadducees  in  reference  to  the  resurrection  of 
the  dead  and  the  life  immortal,  Jesus  assured  them 
that  the  books  of  Moses,  in  which  they  trusted  to 
the  exclusion  of  all  other  Scripture,  contained  cer- 
tain evidences  of  man's  future  and  immortal  ex- 
istence. After  declaring  that  in  the  spiritual  world 
marriage  shall  be  unknown,  and  that  the  children 
of  the  resurrection  shall  there  be  "  as  the  angels  of 
God  in  heaven,"  he  thus  testified  :  "  But  as  touch- 
ing the  resurrection  of  the  dead,  have  ye  not  read 


108    UNIVERSALISM,    THE  DOCTRINE    OF  THE  BIBLE. 

that  which  was  spoken  unto  you  by  God,  saying, 
I  am  the  God  of  Abraham,  and  the  God  of  Isaac, 
and  the  God  of  Jacob?  God  is  not  the  God  of  the 
dead,  but  of  the  hving."  Mat.  xxii.  31,  32.  And 
St.  Luke,  after  recording  this  same  dialogue  adds  to 
the  declaration,"  God  is  not  ihe  God  of  the  dead, 
but  of  the    hving  :  for  all  live  unto  him?^ 

Now  when  God  thus  spake  to  Moses  out  of  the 
bush,  the  patriarchs  of  whom  he  declared  himself 
still  to  be  the  God„  had  passed  off  the  stage  of 
mortal  existence,  and  their  bones  were  mouldering 
in  the  dust.  And  as  Jehovah  was  still  their  God, 
it  is  manifest  that  they  were  still  in  existence,  since 
"God  is  not  the  God  of  the  dead  but  of  the  living: 
for  all  live  unto  him."  But  this  certain  proof  of  life 
for  the  soul  beyond  the  dissolution  of  the  material 
body,  was  not  clearly  understood  and  fully  dis- 
cerned by  man,  until  God's  chosen  Messenger  of 
the  new  and  better  covenant  of  promise,  shed  the 
light  of  immortality  around  the  grave  of  the  sleep- 
er, and  laid  open  to  the  vision  of  faith  the  glorious 
and  heavenly  inheritance  of  our  race  !  And  with 
the  aid  of  this  better  revelation,  a  careful  investi- 
gation will  remove  every  doubt  that  the  Old  Tes- 
tament did  promise  a  happy  life  beyond  death,  and 
immortal  blessings  in  Christ  beyond  all  corruption 
and  every  evil.  Such  promises,  however,  were 
not  fully  understood,  until  explained  in  the  clear 
light  of  the  Gospel.  The  spirit  of  divine  promise  saw 
far  more  than  the  ancient  Seers  were  themselves 
permitted  to  behold.  But  some  of  their  predic- 
tions, though  uttered  before  the  immortal  life  was 
brought  to  light  through  the  Gospel,  must  have 
their  ultimate  fulfilment  (as  we  shall  attempt  to 


GOSPEL  TROMISKS  OF  'J'HE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    109 

show)  ill  the  redemption  of  our  race  from  the 
bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glorious  Uberty  of 
the  children  of  God  ! 

Our  Savior  affirmed  that  he  came  into  the  world 
to  bear  witness  unto  the  truth.  And  it  seems  evi- 
dent from  his  own  language  that  the  truth  to  which 
he  bore  testimony  was  contained  in  the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  Testament — though  that  truth  was  not 
well  understood  until  explained  by  himself.  He 
said  on  a  certain  occasion  to  the  Jews,  "  Search  the 
scriptures ;  for  in  them  ye  think  ye  have  eternal 
life  :  and  they  are  they  which  testify  of  me."  Jno. 
V.  39.  No  person  need  be  informed  that  Jesus  here 
referred  to  the  Old  Testament — for  the  Keio  was 
not  then  written.  The  Jews  searched  their  scrip- 
tures to  find  that  knowledge  which  is  eternal  life — 
and  Jesus  assured  them  that  those  very  scriptures 
testified  of  him.  And  hence  he  reproved  them  for 
their  obstinacy  and  unwillingness  to  come  unto 
him  that  they  might  receive  the  very  life  which 
they  thought  to  find. 

The  Messiah  not  only  brought  to  light  the  im- 
mortal state  of  being — but  he  also  revealed  the 
mind  of  the  Spirit  in  the  ancient  records  of  divine 
truth.  Holy  men  of  old  truly  spake  as  they  were 
moved  by  the  Spirit  of  God — but  they  did  not 
so  clearly  and  perfectly  understand  the  meaning  of 
that  Spirit,  as  did  He  who  came  from  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth.  We  must 
therefore  search  the  plain  revelation  of  Christ  to  as- 
certain the  real  meaning  and  intent  of  the  law  and 
the  prophets.  And  we  should  remember  that  our 
Savior  declared  in  reference  to  those  who  receive 
the  truths  of  his  kingdom,  "Among  them  which  are 
10 


110    UXIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

horn  of  woman  there  hath  not  risen  a  greater  than 
John  the  Baptist :  notwithstanding  he  that  is  least 
in  the  kingdom  of  heaven  is  greater  than  he.'^ 

It  should  be  particularly  remarked  in  this  place, 
that  the  great  mystery  which  the  Gospel  unfolds 
relates  to  the  divine  'promises — and  that  the  reve- 
lation of  this  mystery  shows  the  large  extent  and 
the  glorious  fulfilment  of  these  promises.  This  pro- 
found mystery  was  the  object  of  deep  and  strong 
desire  with  the  wise  men  and  prophets  of  old — and 
even  angels  are  represented  as  desiring  to  look  into 
the  promises  which  God  made  unto  the  fathers. 
We  find  nothing,  however,  in  all  the  revelation  of 
Christ  concerning  dreadful  and  lasting  sufferings,  of 
an  entirely  different  character  from  any  that  were 
made  known  to  man  before  the  introduction  of  the 
better  covenant.  But  it  shows  something  exceed- 
ing in  excellence  and  glory  all  the  former  concep- 
tions of  the  human  mind — and  it  opens  to  the  pros- 
pect of  our  faith  the  incorruptible  and  unfading 
inheritance  of  heaven  for  the  whole  race  of  man  ! 

On  this  interesting  theme  the  apostle  Paul  thus 
speaks  to  the  Colossians  : — ''  I  am  made  a  minister, 
according  to  the  dispensation  of  God  which  is 
given  to  me  for  you,  to  fulfil  the  word  of  God  ;  even 
the  mystery  which  hath  been  hid  from  ages  and 
from  generations,  but  is  now  made  manifest  to  his 
saints  ;  to  whom  God  would  make  known  what  is 
i\\Q  x\q\\qs  o{  the  glory  of  this  mystery  dimons,  the. 
Gentiles ;  which  is  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of 
glory.^^  Such  was  the  great  mystery  that  had  been 
concealed  from  ages  and  from  generations.  And 
the  revelation  of  this  mystery  in  the  Gospel  opens 
to  the  prospect  of  our  faith  the  inheritance  of  heaven 


GOSPEL  I'ROMIf^ES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.     HI 

and  inspires  the  liope  through  Christ  of  immortal 
and  unfading  bhss.  And  it  is  moreover  proved  by 
the  clear  testimony  of  the  same  apostle  that  this 
revelation  declares  the  eventual  ingathering  and 
blessedness  of  all  mankind  in  one  Lord  and  Re- 
deemer. He  says,  Ephesians  1.  8-10,  "  Where- 
in he  (that  is  God)  hath  abounded  toward  us  in  all 
wisdom  and  prudence  ;  having  made  known  unto 
us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  according  to  his  good 
pleasure  which  he  hath  purposed  in  himself;  that 
in  the  dispensation  of  the  fulness  of  times,  he  might 
gather  together  in  one  all  things  in  Christ,  both 
which  are  in  heaven  and  which  are  on  earth  ;  even 
in  him." 

Now  in  view  of  all  these  considerations,  we  are 
prepared  to  understand  what  the  apostle  means,  2d 
Peter  i.  21,  "  For  the  prophecy  came  not  in  old  time 
by  the  will  of  man  :  but  holy  men  of  God  spake  as 
they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost."  The  an- 
cient prophets  of  the  Lord  did  not  draw  their  pre- 
dictions from  an  observance  of  the  signs  of  the 
times,  and  a  calculation  of  probable  occurrences. 
They  gave  expression  to  the  spirit  of  divine  pro- 
mise which  dwelt  in  them.  And  we  may  well  con- 
clude that  in  many  instances  they  knew  nothing  of 
the  extent  and  glory  of  the  prophecies  which  they 
indited  through  "  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty." 
They  declared  not  their  own  opinions,  but  spake 
as  they  were  moved  by  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God. 
And  though  they  searched  diligently  into  the  things 
of  which  they  spake,  and  even  angels  desired  to 
look  into  those  things,  the  great  mystery  was  never 
solved,  until  the  chosen  Messenger  of  the  new  cov- 
enant laid  open  the  whole  plan  of  gospel  grace,  and 


112  UNIVERSALISar,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

declared  himself  to  be  the  resurrection  and  the  spiri- 
tual life  of  the  world  ! 

St.  Peter  again  says  of  our  Redeemer,  ^'  Whom 
having  not  seen,  ye  love  ;  in  whom,  though  now 
ye  seejhim  not,  yet  believing,  ye  rejoice  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  :  receiving  the  end  of 
your  faith,  even  the  salvation  of  your  souls.  Of 
which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired  and 
searched  diligently,  who  prophecied  of  the  grace 
that  should  come  unto  you:  searching  what  or 
what  manner  of  time  the  Spirit  of  Christ  whicli 
was  in  them  did  signify,  when  it  testified  before- 
hand the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow.  Unto  whom  it  was  revealed,  that 
not  unto  themselves,  hut  unto  us  they  did  minister 
the  things  which  are  now  reported  unto  you  by 
them  that  have  preached  the  gospel  unto  you  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  sent  down  from  heaven  ;  which 
things  the  angels  desire  to  look  into." 

From  this  passage  it  is  manifest  that  the  prophets 
of  old  spake  of  the  salvation  of  man  through  Jesus 
Christ.  And  it  is  also  shown  that  while  they  dili- 
gently searched  into  this  salvation,  and  desired  to 
ascertain  the  time  when  it  should  be  fully  revealed, 
they  were  sensible  that  they  ministered  to  future 
generations,  to  whom  this  great  mystery  should 
be  made  known.  We  are  blessed  with  the  reve- 
lation of  this  mystery.  And  in  the  clear  light  of 
the  Gospel  we  now  plainly  see  that  the  ancient  pro- 
mises of  God  embrace  the  resurrection  of  the  dead 
and  the  final  glory  and  bliss  of  man.  And  indeed 
we  find  that  when  St.  Paul  stood  accused  before 
King  Agrippa,  he  plainly  declared  in  his  defence, — 
"And  now  Istandandam  judged  for  the  hope  of  the 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    113 

promise  made  of  God  unto  our  fathers  :  unto  which 
promise  our  twelve  tribes  instantly  serving  God 
day  and  night,  hope  to  come.  For  which  hope's 
sake,  Khig  Agrippa,  I  am  accused  of  the  Jews. 
W/ii/  should  it  be  thought  a  thing  incredible  with 
you  that  God  should  raise  the  deadV^  Here,  then, 
we  plainly  perceive  that  in  declaring  the  ancient 
promises  of  God,  the  apostle  made  them  embrace 
man's  future  and  immortal  life.  These  promises, 
therefore,  though  not  perfectly  understood  at  the 
time  when  they  were  first  spoken,  are  now  seen 
to  have  extended  beyond  the  reign  of  sin  and 
death — while  they  give  to  us  comforting  assurances 
of  final  blessedness  in  the  Lord  of  life  and  glory  ! 

But  though  this  train  of  thought  might  be  great- 
ly extended,  we  trust  that  enough  has  already  been 
said  to  render  it  obvious  to  every  mind  that  the 
Old  Testament  did  contain  promises  of  immortal 
life  and  heavenly  bliss.  And  here  we  are  reminded 
that  the  promises  themselves  deserve  to  be  carefully 
noticed.  We  shall  not  feel  justified,  however,  in 
seizing  upon  any  passage  in  the  ancient  Scriptures 
that  seems  to  promise  universal  blessedness,  and 
without  any  regard  to  its  true  meaning,  insist  upon 
forcing  it  into  a  proof  of  ultimate  salvation  through 
Jesus  Christ.  But  when  we  find  a  passage  of  the 
Old  Testament  thus  explained  in  the  New,  we 
surely  do  no  violence  to  the  sacred  text  in  present- 
ing such  explanation  in  connexion  with  the  passage 
itself.  And  it  will  be  perceived  that  the  few  pas- 
sages about  to  be  introduced  are  applied  in  the 
Gospel  to  the  final  and  glorious  results  of  Christ's 
mediation  between  God  and  man. 
10* 


114  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

We  camiot  well  pass  over  that  most  remarkable 
promise  which  God  made  to  the  earliest  inhabi- 
tants of  the  earth — a  promise  which  extends  to  the 
completion  of  the  Messiah's  work  in  the  salvation 
of  the  world.  Some  persons  have  indeed  supposed 
that  the  first  sin  of  man  deprived  him  of  all  favor 
of  God,  and  exposed  both  him  and  all  his  posteri- 
ty to  interminable  woes!  But  this  notion,  alike  op- 
posed to  reason  and  to  scripture  truth,  will  be 
abundantly  refuted  as  we  proceed. 

On  referring  to  the  3d  chapter  of  Genesis,  we 
find  the  whole  account,  not  only  of  the  first  temp- 
tation and  sin,  but  also  of  the  curse  that  was  conse- 
quently denounced.  In  the  same  connexion  we 
find  one  of  the  most  gracious  promises  on  record. 
And  this  great  promise  was  made  immediately  af- 
ter the  first  transgression — thus  showing  that  sin  it- 
self had  not  removed  the  paternal  love  of  God  from 
his  offspring  on  earth.  Tliere  was  a  curse  pro- 
nounced upon  the  cause  of  sin  and  mortal  woe, 
which  was  the  tempter,  or  the  principle  of  evil 
represented  under  tl^e  similitude  of  a  serpent.  And 
ihe  promise  of  which  we  speak  was  declared  in 
these  memorable  words  : — "And  1  will  put  enmity 
between  thee  and  the  woman,  and  between  thy 
seed  and  her  seed :  it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and 
thou  shalt bruise  his  heal."  Now  we  do  not  pretend 
that  this  promise  was  understood  in  all  its  length 
breadth  at  the  time  when  it  was  uttered — 
and  that  it  was  then  perceived  to  mean  that  evil 
and  all  its  works  shall  be  destroyed  by  the  Savior 
of  the  world.  We  look  to  the  New  Testament  for 
the  true  explanation— and  the  whole  subject  is  there 
made  perfectly  plain.     Jesus  is  said   to  have  been 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.     115 

'^made  of  a  woman" — and  perhaps  he  was  thus 
designated  because  he  had  no  father  on  earth.  And 
the  fact  is  abundantly  testified  that  he  was  empow- 
ered of  God  to  destroy  the  devil  and  his  works. 

It  should  be  remarked  that  the  seed  of  the  serpent 
was  merely  to  braise  the  heel  o( the  seed  of  the  wo- 
man. A  slight  wound  only  was  to  be  inflicted — and 
that  was  to  be  done  by  the  hands  of  those  who  were 
in  character  the  children  of  the  devil.  And  the  fact 
is  worthy  of  notice  that  our  Savior  said  to  those 
who  maliciously  sought  liislife,  and  at  last  put  him 
to  death,  "  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and 
the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do^  He  did  not 
mean  that  those  Jews  whom  he  addressed  were  in 
reahty  the  offspring  of  an  evil  being — but  that  they 
sustained  such  a  character,  and  were  so  influenced 
by  the  power  of  evil,  as  to  render  it  proper  that  he 
should  denominate  them  a  ^^  generation  ofvipers.^^ 
The  principle  of  evil  is  thus  personified,  and  repre- 
sented as  the  agent  who  acted  through  them  in  put- 
ting to  death  "  the  man  Christ  Jesus." 

But  the  seed  of  the  woman  was  to  inflict  a  more 
deadly  blow.  He  was  to  bruise  the  head  of  the  ser- 
pent. And  hence  we  find  it  written,  Heb.  ii.  14,  "For 
as  much  then  as  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood,  he  (Christ)  also  himself  likewise  took 
part  of  the  same  ;  that  through  death  he  might  de- 
stroy him  that  had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the 
devil."  Nor  is  it  merely  declared  that  the  seed 
which  was  promised  will  destroy  the  devil  himself. 
The  apostle  John  proceeds  still  farther,  and  affirms, 
"  For  this  purpose  was  the  Son  of  God  manifested, 
that  he  might  destroij  the  works  of  the  devil. '^ 
1st  John  iii.  8. 


116   UNIVERSALISM,   THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Such  is  the  great  work  which  the  Redeemer  of 
the  world  has  undertaken  to  perform — and  all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  has  been  given  him 
for  its  accomplishment.  We  rejoice  to  believe  that 
he  will  succeed — for  the  unalterable  oath  of  the 
Living  God  has  been  pledged  for  his  prosperity. 
And  when  he  shall  have  destroyed  death,  which  is 
the  last  enemy,  there  can  be  no  foe  left  to  tor- 
ment man — and  while  grace  and  life  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord  shall  become  triumphant  and  uni- 
versal, God  himself  shall  be  all  in  all ! 

Again,  the  promises  that  were  made  to  Abraham 
and  renewed  to  his  descendants,  are  so  explained 
in  the  New  Testament  as  to  justify  their  application 
to  the  final  condition  of  mankind  in  Christ  Jesus 
our  Lord.  Every  reader  is  supposed  to  be  fami- 
liar with  these  remarkable  promises — and  such  as 
are  not  may  become  acquainted  with  them  by  con- 
sulting the  12th,  18th,  22d  and  26th  chapters  of 
Genesis.  In  examining  these  places  we  find  that 
all  the  nations  and  all  the  families  of  the  earth 
were  to  be  blessed  in  the  promised  seed.  And  that 
the  entire  race  of  man  was  embraced  in  this  great 
promise,  so  plainly  appears  from  the  exposition 
which  St.  Peter  has  given  it,  that  no  room  is  left  for 
any  reasonable  doubt.  In  speaking  to  the  Jews, 
he  says.  Acts  lii.  25, "  Ye  are  the  children  of  the 
prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made 
with  our  fathers,  saying  unto  Abraham,  And  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  be 
blessed.^^  Now  if  absolute  universality  is  not 
here  expressed,  we  confess  our  ignorance  of  the 
meaning  of  language,  and  our  inabihty  to  find  any 
words  that   will  express  this   idea.     Althongh   it 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    117 

might  be  supposed  that  some  men  are  of  no  nation, 
and  Others  allied  to  no  particular  family,  yet  to  talk 
of  a  man  who  is  not  a  kindred  of  the  earth,  is  to 
use  language  without  meaning.  The  conclusion 
is  therefore  irresistible  that  the  promise  in  question 
includes  every  human  being,  and  purposes  to  bless 
them  all  without  respect  of  persons. 
V  And  having  thus  settled  this  point  we  may  pro- 
perly inquire  concerning  the  nature  of  the  pro- 
mised blessing.  All  the  kindreds  of  the  earth,  it  is 
declared,  shall  be  blessed  in  the  seed  of  Abraham, 
or  in  the  seed  of  the  woman  who  sprang  from  his 
posterity.  After  calling  this  promise  the  Gospel, 
which  God  himself  preached  to  Abraham,  saying, 
"  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be  blessed."  St.  Paul 
thus  speaks.  Gal.  iii.  16,  "  Now  to  Abraham  and 
his  seed  were  the  promises  made.  He  saith  not. 
And  to  seeds,  as  of  many  :  but  as  of  one,  and  to  thy 
seed,  which  is  Christ.^' 

Here,  then,  in  the  clear  light  of  the  Gospel  the 
ancient  promise  of  God  to  Abraham  is  explained 
to  mean  nothing  less  than  the  salvation  of  the 
world  through  Jesus  Christ.  And  after  citing  this 
promise  in  all  its  fulness  and  extent,  St.  Peter  im- 
mediately added  to  the  persons  whom  he  addressed, 
"Unto  you  first,  God  having  raised  up  his  Son 
Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless  you,  in  turning  away  every 
one  of  you  from  his  iniquities.''^  In  strict  accord- 
ance with  this  fact,  Jesus  is  called  "the  Lamb  of 
God,  which  taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  icorldJ^ 
His  office  is  to  finish  sin — to  destroy  the  devil  and 
his  works — and  to  reconcile  all  things  unto  God. 
And  he  will  not  fail  nor  be  discouraged  in  his 
work — but  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  will  prosper 


118  UNIVERSALTSM,  THE  DOCTRINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

in  his  hand,  and  he  will    see  of  the  travail   of  his 
soul  and  be  satisfied  ! 

We  are  aware  of  the  belief  that  the  promise  of 
which  we  have  spoken  is  fulfilled  when  salvation 
is  prvoided  and  freely  offered  to  all  mankind — 
though  but  a  part  will  actually  be  saved.  But  if 
this  notion  be  true,  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth 
might  be  blessed  in  Christ,  according  to  the  promise, 
and  yet  not  one  soul  ever  inherit  the  promised  bless- 
ing !  For  'provisions  might  be  made  for  all,  and 
the  offer  might  be  presented  to  all,  and  still  no 
man  be  actually  blessed  in  the  promised  seed !  This 
would  be  rather  a  strange  fulfilment  of  promise  ! 
But  the  promise  itself,  as  we  have  found  it  stated 
and  reiterated,  says  nothing  whatever  about  pro- 
visions and  offers — but  it  plainly  declares  the  fact 
that  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth  shall  be  blessed  in 
Christ  Jesus  !  And  the  only  proper  question  be- 
tween our  opposers  and  ourselves  is,  whether  this 
ancient  promise  of  God  will  ever  be  fulfilled. 

The  notion  prevails  to  a  great  extent  that  none 
of  mankind  can  ever  be  blessed  in  Christ,  after  hav- 
ing died  in  Adam,  except  such  as  believe  and  com- 
ply with  certain  conditions  in  the  present  world. 
But  the  very  advocates  of  this  notion  themselves 
are  not  satisfied  with  the  conclusion  to  which  it  cer- 
tainly leads.  They  know  that  millions  of  our  race 
die  without  ever  having  heard  of  a  Savior — and 
that  if  this  notion  be  true,  they  must  all  eternally 
perish.  And  yet  they  shudder  at  the  bare  thought, 
and  deny  all  faith  in  the  conclusion  resulting  from 
their  own  avowed  belief—and  they  at  once  freely 
admit  and  even  contend  that  many  will  be  blessed 
in  Christ,  who  have  never  in  this  life   exercised 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    1  19 

faith  in  his  name  !  Such  they  certainly  hold  will  be 
the  case  with  all  who  die  in  infancy.  And  the  mo- 
ment it  is  admitted  that  one  human  soul  may  be 
blessed  in  Christ  without  having  exercised  faith 
and  performed  good  works  in  the  world,  that  mo- 
ment it  is  fully  conceded  that  these  things  are  not 
essential  to  the  inheritance  of  the  promised  blessing 
of  heaven ! 

We  humbly  trust  that  we  prize  the  blessings  of 
faith  in  the  Redeemer  as  highly  as  any  other  peo- 
ple, and  we  earnestly  insist  upon  the  performance 
of  good  works,  because,  as  an  apostle  has  testified, 
and  as  our  own  experience  declares,  "  these  things 
are  good  and  profitable  unto  men."  But  we  do  not 
believe  that  any  doings  of  our  own  will  either  se- 
cure or  forfeit  the  life  and  blessings  which  God  has 
graciously  promised  to  us  and  to  all  mankind  in  his 
Son.  And  hence  we  find  that  immediately  after 
citing  and  explaining  the  promise  under  conside- 
ration, St.  Paul  asks  the  question,  "Is  the  law  then 
against  the  promises  of  God?"  and  gives  this  sig- 
nificant answer,"  God  forbid.^^  Gal.  iii.  21. 

The  apostle  did  not  believe  that  there  is  any 
penalty  annexed  to  God's  law,  the  infliction  of 
which  will  to  any  extent  nullify  the  divine  pro- 
mises. But  he  did  believe,  as  the  Scriptures 
abundantly  teach,  that  God  will  render  to  every 
man  according  to  his  deeds — and  yet  that  far  be- 
yond all  rewards  and  punishments,  and  of  his 
own  free  and  impartial  grace,  he  will  bless  the 
whole  race  of  Adam  with  immortal  life  and  joy  in 
the  second  man,  who  is  the  quickening  spirit  and 
"the  Savior  of  the  world." 

We  shall   introduce   but  one  more  passage   in 


120  UNI  VERS  ALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

proof  of  the  fact  that  the  Old  Testament  promised 
the  universal  salvation  of  our  race  through  Jesus 
Christ.  The  passage  has  been  so  frequently  re- 
peated, and  is  so  familiar  to  all,  that  it  need  hardly 
be  quoted  at  length.  In  the  25th  chapter  of  Isaiah 
we  find  a  prediction  concerning  the  mountain  in 
which  the  Lord  of  hosts  was  to  make  a  feast  of  fat 
things  for  all  people — and  it  is  there  promised  that 
"  he  will  destroy  in  this  mountain  the  face  of  the 
covering  cast  over  all  people,  and  the  vail  that  is 
spread  over  all  nations.  He  will  sivallow  up  death 
in  victory  :  and  the  Lord  God  will  wipe  away  tears 
from  off  all  faces. ^^  Now  St.  Paul  speaks,  Gal.  iv, 
and  Heb.  xii,  of  the  old  and  new  covenants  under 
thefiguresof  Mount'SinaiandMount  Sion.  And  we 
think  it  but  reasonable  to  conclude  that  the  moun- 
tain in  the  passage  just  cited,  and  in  which  a  feast 
was  to  be  prepared  for  all  jieople,  means  the  Gos- 
pel Covenant^  v/hich  embraces  all  the  kindreds  of 
the  earth,  and  which  furnishes  the  bread  of  God 
for  the  life  of  the  world.  But  the  clear  explanation 
presented  by  the  apostle  himself  will  prove  far 
more  satisfactory  than  any  that  we  could  offer. 

In  the  15th  chapter  of  1st  Corinthians  we  are 
furnished  with  a  full  and  connected  discourse  on 
the  subject  of  man's  future  state  of  existence  and 
the  final  and  glorious  results  of  the  Messiah's  king- 
dom. The  fact  of  Christ's  resurrection  from  the 
dead  is  first  stated,  and  abundantly  proved  by  re- 
ference to  the  testimony  of  a  great  cloud  of  living 
and  credible  witnesses.  From  this  fact  it  is  shown 
that  all  mankind  will  in  like  manner  be  raised 
from  the  dead,  and  made  alive  in  Him  who  is  our 
forerunner  to  glory — "  the  head  of  every  man" — 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    131 

and  "  the  Savior  of  the  world.''  And  when  this 
universal  triumph  over  death  shall  have  been 
achieved,  it  is  declared  that  the  last  enemy  shall 
be  destroyed,  and  all  things  shall  be  nsade  subject 
unto  Christ,  even  as  he  also  shall  be  subject  unto 
the  Father,  that  God  maxj  he  all  in  all  I 

The  apostle  afterwards  proceeds  to  illustrate  the 
resurrection,  and  to  show  how  the  dead  are  raised 
up  and  with  what  body  they  come.  He  says,  ''It 
is  sown  in  corruption  ;  it  is  raised  in  incorruption  : 
it  is  sown  in  dishonor;  it  is  raised  in  glory ;  it  is  sown 
in  weakness;  it  is  raised  in  power:  it  is  sown  a 
natural  body;  it  is  raised  a  spiritual  body."  And 
here  it  should  be  observed,  that  the  apostle  speaks 
not  of  any  particular  class  of  mankind,  but  oithe 
dead — or,  in  other  words,  he  speaks  of  all  who  die 
in  the  earthy  nature  of  Adam.  And  while  he  certi- 
fies that '^  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive,''  he  also  declares,  "  And 
as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy,  we 
shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly V 

Having  proceeded  thus  far  wih  his  explanation 
of  the  resurrection  of  the  vast  family  of  Adam,  and 
the  successful, and  glorious  issue  of  the  gospel  dis- 
pensation, the  apostle  gives  utterance  to  the  follow- 
ing language,  which  will  show  the  full  meaning  of 
the  passage  cited  from  Isaiah  : — "  Now  this  I  say, 
brethren,  that  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God ;  neither  doth  corruption  inherit 
incorruption.  Behold,  I  show  you  a  mystery ; 
We  shall  not  all  sleep,  but  we  shall  all  be  changedy 
in  a  moment,  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye,  at  the  last 
trump;  (for  the  trumpet  shall  sound;)  and  the 
dead  shall  be  raised  incorruptible,  and  we  shall  be 
11 


122    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

changed.  For  this  corruptible  must  put  on  incor- 
ruption,  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immortality. 
So  when  this  corruptible  shall  have  put  on  incor- 
ruption,  and  this  mortal  shall  have  put  on  immor- 
tality, then  shall  be  brought  to  pass  the  saying  that 
is  written,  Death  is  swallowed  up  in  victory." 
Now  no  person  need  be  told  where  this  saying  is 
written.  We  have  already  read  the  original  pro- 
mise of  God  in  the  ancient  record  of  his  truth.  And 
the  apostle  Paul  has  declared  the  fulfilment  of  this 
promise.  The  saying  will  be  brought  to  pass, 
when  death,  the  last  enemy,  shall  be  swallowed  up 
in  victory.  And  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that 
when  this  last  and  great  victory  of  the  Son  of  God 
shall  be  accompUshed,  tears  shall  be  wiped 
FROM  OFF  all  FACES — and  pain  and  sorrow  will 
therefore  be  unknown  to  any  soul  of  man  ! 

Then  shall  the  glad  song  of  victory  through  the 
Lamb  of  God  over  sin,  death  and  hell,  dwell  upon 
every  tongue — the  perfect  praises  of  a  whole  fami- 
ly in  heaven  shall  be  heard  in  the  grand  jubilee  of 
redemption — Jesus,  who  gave  himself  a  ransom 
for  all  to  be  testified  in  due  time,  shall  see  the  re- 
sults of  his  labors  with  satisfaction  and  delight — 
and  the  Lord  himself  shall  rejoice  over  his  works 
with  singing  and  joy  ! 

Thus,  then,  we  find  that  God  has  of  a  truth 
spoken  of  the  restitution  of  all  things  by  the  mouth 
of  all  his  holy  prophets  since  the  world  began.  We 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory  that 
the  clear  light  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ  has  been  shed 
upon  the  ancient  record  of  God's  truth — so  that  we 
are  now  enabled  to  see  what  prophets  were  not 
perruitted  to  behold,  and  to  understand  the  things 


GOSPEL  PROMISES  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT.    123 

into  which  angels  had  desired  to  look.  And  we 
bless  the  holy  nsane  of  God  that  we  are  now  per- 
mitted by  faith — strong  and  confiding  faith — to 
behold  the  bright  and  happy  period,  when  unto  God 
the  Father,  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Redeemer, 
every  knee  shall  bow  in  humble  submission  to  the 
power  of  love,  and  every  tongue  shall  joyfully  de- 
clare, "  Ix  THE  Lord  have  I  righteousness  and 


CHAPTER    X. 
THE  TRINITY. 

The  subject  which  we  now  propose  to  discuss 
is  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity— d^  doctrine  which  we 
do  not  beheve  is  taught  in  any  part  of  the  word  of 
God.  We  feel  perfectly  free  to  investigate  this 
doctrine  with  the  aid  of  reason  in  the  light  of  the 
Scriptures.  And  though  we  shall  use  great  plain- 
ness of  speech,  we  hope  not  to  betray  a  want  of  pro- 
per respect  for  the  opinions  and  feelings  of  any  of 
our  Christian  brethren.  Others  have  the  same  right 
to  hold  and  to  defend  what  they  honestly  believe 
to  be  God's  truth,  that  we  dare  claim  for  ourselves. 
But  we  cannot  allow  that  any  doctrine  tliat  has 
ever  been  revealed  to  man  should  be  considered 
too  sacred  to  be  freely  and  thoroughly  examined. 
Let  it  not  be  supposed,  however,  that  we  intend  to 
make  our  own  feeble  reason  the  great  standard  of 
faith.  We  believe  that  the  Scriptures  are  the  true 
standard.  But  the  meaning  expressed  in  the  Scrip- 
tures can  never  be  apprehended  without  the  pro- 
per exercise  of  that  reason  and  that  understanding, 
which  are  the  highest  endowments  of  our  nature. 
And  while  we  desire  to  bow  with  all  becoming 
submission  to  the  authority  of  God's  word,  we  feel 
that  duty  requires  us  diligently  to  seek  a  knowledge 
of  the  sense  and  meaning  of  that  word. 
124 


THE    TRINITY.  135 

The  subject  before  us  opens  a  wide  field  for  dis- 
cussion— and  we  have  no  expectation  that  we  shall 
be  able  fully  to  examine  it  in  all  its  parts.  The 
attention  of  the  reader  will  be  directed  to  several 
of  the  most  plausible  arguments  in  favor  of  the  tri- 
personality  of  the  Godhead — and  afterwards  we 
shall  offer  a  number  of  insuperable  objections 
against  this  doctrine.  And  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  matter  will,  we  think,  be  found  most  clear- 
ly expressed  in  the  following  words  of  St.  Paul : — 
*'''For  there,  is  one  God  and  ont  Mediator  between 
God  and  men^  the  man  Christ  Jesus J^  1st  Tim. 
ii.  5. 

In  order  to  avoid  even  the  appearance  of  mis- 
representing the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  we  shall 
carefully  state  this  doctrine  in  the  very  language 
of  its  believers.  The  first  article  of  the  Articles  of 
Religion  of  the  Episcopal  Church  is  thus  express- 
ed : — "  There  is  but  one  living  and  true  God,  ever- 
lasting, without  body,  parts  or  passions;  of  infinite 
power,  wisdom  and  goodness;  the  Maker  and  Pre- 
server of  all  things  visible  and  invisible.  And  in 
unity  of  this  Godhead,  there  be  three  persons,  of 
one  substance,  power,  and  eternity  ;  the  Father, 
the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.'^  And  in  the  Shorter 
Catechism  of  the  Presbyterian  Church,  we  find  the 
following  question  and  answer  : — "  Q.  How  many 
persons  are  there  in  the  Godhead?  A.  There  are 
three  persons  in  the  Godhead  ;  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost ;  and  these  three  are  one  God, 
the  same  in  substance,  equal  in  power  and  glory.'' 
Such  then  is  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity.  It  holds 
that  there  are  three  persons  in  the  Godhead — and 
that  these  three  several  persons  are  of  the  same 


126  UNIVERSALISM,   THE   DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

substance^  equal  in  power  and  glory,  and  co-ex- 
istent in  their  being.  All  Trinitarians,  we  think, 
will  freely  admit  that  such  is  the  doctrine  which 
they  believe. 

We  may  safely  assume  in  the  outset  that  no  man 
will  attempt  to  adduce  arguments  in  support  of 
this  doctrine  from  any  other  source  than  the  Scrip- 
tures. For  surely  none  can  pretend  that  there  is 
any  thing  either  in  reason  or  in  nature  to  warrant 
the  supposition  that  three  persons  ever  existed  in 
one  being.  So  far  as  the  instructions  of  reason 
are  concerned,  we  might  as  well  suppose  that  three 
beings  could  exist  in  one  person.  Reason  teaches 
no  man  that  a  so?i  can  be  as  old  as  his  father.  And 
nature  never  instructed  any  one  to  believe  that 
three  persons  were  ever  numerically  but  one  and 
the  same  being. 

The  Scriptures,  then,  must  be  regarded  as  fur- 
nishing the  only  supposed  proofs  of  the  Trinity. 
The  believers  of  this  doctrine  will  freely  admit  that 
it  is  purely  a  doctrine  of  revelation.  And  here 
we  are  quite  willing  to  rest  the  whole  argument. 
We  ask  for  no  more  effectual  weapons  to  refute 
and  overthrow  this  doctrine  than  such  as  the  Scrip- 
tures furnish.  And  without  attempting  any  thing 
farther  by  way  of  prelimit)ary,  we  shall  proceed 
at  once  to  state  and  to  examine  the  principal  argu- 
ments drawn  from  the  Scriptures  to  prove  that 
there  are  three  persons  in  the  Godhead,  of  one  sub- 
stance, and  equal  in  power,  glory  and  eternity. 

1st.  It  is  declared  that  Christ  is  expressly  called 
God  in  numerous  places  of  the  divine  word — that 
the  incommunicable  name  of  Jehovah  is  applied  to 
him — and  that  therefore  he  must  be  of  the  same 


THE  TRINITY.  127 

substance,  and  equal    in  power  and   glory   with 
the  Almighty  Father. 

Now  we  certainly  wish  not  to  deny  or  to  keep  out 
of  view  any  fact  stated  in  the  Scripture — and  we 
therefore  freely  grant  that  Christ  is  called  God. 
But  we  deny  that  this  fact  proves  him  to  be  the 
Supreme  Deity,  and  his  own  father  and  his  own 
son  !  Let  us  notice  the  places  where  Christ  is 
called  God,  and  endeavor  to  ascertain  what  is  really 
meant  in  such  places.  There  is  a  passage  in  the 
9th  chapter  of  Isaiah,  which  has  been  urged  with 
very  great  confidence  to  establish  the  Trinitarian 
hypothesis.  It  reads  thus: — "For  unto  us  a  child 
is  born,  unto  us  a  Son  is  given ;  and  the  govern- 
ment shall  be  upon  his  shoulder :  and  his  name 
shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  mighty 
God,  the  everlasting  Father,  the  Prince  of  Peace." 
Now  here  it  deserves  to  be  carefully  noticed, 
that  the  person  of  whom  the  prophet  speaks, 
was  a  child,  and  was  given  to  us  by  another. 
It  is  plain,  therefore,  that  he  must  have  had  a 
father,  and  must  also  have  proceeded  from  a 
giver.  And  without  attempting  to  present  before 
the  reader  a  lengthened  argument  on  this  subject, 
he  is  left  to  decide  for  himself  whether  it  is  proper 
to  say,  or  reasonable  to  conclude,  that  the  prophet 
meant  to  teach  that  the  Supreme  God  was  ever  a 
child  and  given  to  us  ! 

As  to  the  several  names  here  used,  they  effect  not 
the  nature  of  the  person  of  whom  the  prophet  dis- 
courses. And  if  it  be  earnestly  insisted  that  this  per- 
son must  be  the  Supreme  Deity,  because  he  is 
called  God,  the  argument  will  be  found  to  prove 
entirely   too  much,  and  to  destroy  itself.     Moses 


128    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE.  ' 

was  expressly  called  God — but  no  one  argues  from 
this  fact  that  he  was  the  Almighty  Jehovah.  Thus 
we  read,  Exodus  vii.  1,  ^'  And  the  Lord  said  unto 
Moses,  see  I  have  made  thee  a  God  to  Pharaoh ; 
and  Aaron  thy  brother  shall  by  thy  prophet." 
And  again  we  read,  Pslam  Ixxxii.  6,  7,  "  I  have 
said,  ye  are  Gods  ;  and  all  of  you  are  children  of 
the  Most  High.  But  ye  shall  die  like  men,  and  fall 
like  one  of  the  princes."  It  was  in  reference  to 
this  passage  that  our  Lord  said  to  the  Jews  in  the 
10th  chapter  of  John,  "Is  it  not  written  in  your 
law,  I  said,  ye  are  Gods  ?  If  he  called  them  Gods, 
unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  and  the  Scrip- 
ture cannot  be  broken ;  say  ye  of  him  whom  the 
Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent  into  the  world. 
Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said,  I  am  the  Son 
of  God  ?"  And  as  to  names,  it  may  still  farther 
be  remarked  that  Elijah  means  God  the  Lord,  the 
strong  Lord — Eli  means  my  God —  Joshua  means 
the  Lord,  the  Savior — Jihimael  means  a  father 
sent  from  God — and  Eliphalet  means  the  God  of 
deliverance.  The  catalogue  of  such  names  might 
be  greatly  extended.  They  were  freely  applied  to 
men,  on  account  of  the  offices  which  they  sus- 
tained, or  because  of  the  particular  works  which 
they  were  appointed  to  perform. 

In  like  manner  Christ  was  called  the  mighty 
God— (but  never  that  we  can  learn  the  Almighty)— 
and  the  everlasting  Father,  or  the  father  of  the 
everlasting  ages.  The  Septuagint  have  megales 
Boxdes  Anggelos,  the  Messenger  of  the  Great 
Counsel.  Jesus  himself  declared,  as  we  have 
already  seen,  that  they  were  called  gods  imto 
whom  the  word  of  God  came.     The  word  of  God 


THK  TRINITY.  129 

came  to  him — and  why  should  lie  not  also  receive 
this  name,  and  that  too,  without  being  considered 
equal  in  power  and  glory  and  of  the  same  eternity 
with  that  Almighty  Father  from  whom  both  he 
and  the  word  itself  proceeded  ?  We  read,  1st  Cor. 
viii.  5,  6,  "  For  though  there  be  that  are  called 
gods,  whether  in  heaven  or  in  earth,  (as  there  be 
gods  many,  and  lords  many,)  but  to  us  there  is  but 
one  God,  the  Father,  of  whom  are  all  things,  and 
we  in  him ;  and  one  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  whom 
are  all  things,  and  we  by  him."  Here  the  apostle 
freely  admits  that  the  name  god  has  been  applied 
to  others  than  the  Most  High.  But  to  us — that  is, 
to  Christians— there  is  but  one  God,  who  is  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Now  if  St.  Paul 
had  considered  Christ  and  the  Holy  Ghost  as  per- 
sons in  the  Godhead,  equal  in  power  and  glory 
with  the  Father,  why  did  he  not  say,  to  us  there 
are  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the 
Holy  Ghost?  But  St.  Paul  knew  nothing  of  any 
sucli  doctrine,  as  we  shall  yet  attempt  to  show. 

The  foregoing  considerations,  we  think,  suffi- 
ciently explain  the  declaration  of  Jehovah  to  his 
Son — "Thy  throne,  0  God,  is  forever  and  ever." 
Heb.  i.  S.  Jesus,  receiving  the  Divine  Spirit  in  im- 
measurable fulness,  was  called  God,  as  others  had 
been  before  him.  But  at  the  same  time  it  should 
be  well  understood  that  he  expressly  and  repeated- 
ly acknowledged  his  entire  dependence  upon  the 
Almighty,  declaring  that  he  could  of  himself  do  no- 
thing— and  he  certainly  confessed  his  own  inferi- 
ority when  he  said,  "  For  my  Father  is  greater 
than  /."  John  xiv,  28.  And  whether  the  epithet 
Jehovah  is  ever  applied  to  Jesus  Christ  or  not,  we 


130    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

find  that  it  is  frequently  applied  to  places  and 
things  on  earth.  Thus  we  read,  Gen.  xxii.  14, 
"  And  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that  place  «7e- 
hovah-i'ueh.^'  Exodus  xvii.  15,  "And  Moses 
built  an  altar,  and  called  the  name  of  it  Jehovah- 
nissi."  Judge  vi.  24,  "  Then  Gideon  built  an 
altar  there,  and  called  it  Jehovah-shdAom.^^ 

In  this  place  we  deem  it  proper  briefly  to  notice 
the  argument  which  Trinitarians  draw  from  the 
1st  chapter  of  John's  Gospel.  The  name  of  God  is 
there  emphaticallyapplied  to  our  Savior,  according 
to  the  common  version  of  the  New  Testament.  But 
it  should  be  understood  that  the  word  logos,  here 
applied  to  Christ,  is  a  word  bearing  the  greatest 
variety  of  meaning.  This  word  comes  from  the 
Greek  verb  lego,  to  speak — and  we  find  that  in  the 
Lexicons  it  has  no  less  than  forty-five  distinct  sig- 
nifications. Wakefield  has  rendered  it  ivisdom. 
And  among  other  definitions  given  by  Parkhurst, 
we  find  the  following — "  a  word,"  "speech,"  "  dis- 
course," "reason,"  "anafl'air,  matter,  thing,  wliich 
may  be  the  subject  of  discourse."  The  word  is 
translated  ivisdom  in  the  8th  chapter  of  Proverbs, 
where  it  is  personified,  and  represented  as  saying, 
"  The  Lord  possessed  me  in  the  beginning  of  his 
way,  before  his  works  of  old.  I  was  set  up  from 
everlasting,  from  the  beginning,  or  ever  the  earth 
was."  This  divine  energy,  power  or  wisdom  was 
with  God  in  the  beginning,  even  before  the  world 
was — by  or  through  it  he  created  all  things— and  in 
the  fulness  of  times  it  was  made  manifest  to  the 
world  by  Jesus  Christ,  who  came  in  the  flesh.  It 
was  made  flesh  and  dwelt  among  men.  "And  we 
beheld  his  glory  (says  John,)  the   glory  as   of  the 


THE  TRINITY.  13l 

only  begotten  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and 
truth.''  And  in  the  same  connexion  the  Evange- 
list affirms,  '^  No  man  hath  seen  God  at  any  time; 
the  only-begotten  Son,  which  is  in  the  bosom  of 
the  Father,  he  hath  declared  him." 

The  divine  wisdom  and  power  were  displayed 
in  our  Savior — and  through  him  God  was  made 
manifest  to  the  world.  And  as  they  were  called 
gods  unto  whom  the  word  of  God  came,  this  title 
pre-eminently  belonged  to  Him  who  came  from  the 
bosom  of  the  Father,  full  of  grace  and  truth,  and 
who  is  far  exalted  above  all  creatures  in  heaven  as 
well  as  on  earth  !  Jesus  may  therefore  well  be  con- 
sidered as  a  manifestation  of  God  in  the  flesh.  He 
is  the  brightness  of  the  Father's  glory  and  the  ex- 
press image  of  his  person.  In  him  we  behold  all 
of  the  great  Invisible  that  mortals  are  capable  of 
beholding.  And  while  we  cheerfully  ascribe  to 
him  all  the  honor  and  glory  that  are  due  to  his 
high  and  exalted  name,  we  must  render  our  high- 
est devotions  to  his  Father  and  our  Father,  to  his 
God  and  our  God  ! 

i>d.  Jesus  plainly  declared,  "  /  and  my  Father 
are  one.^^  John  x.  30.  And  this  declaration  has 
been  thought  to  prove  beyond  all  reasonable  con-' 
troversy  that  Jesus  and  his  Father  are  persons  in 
the  same  being.  But  however  plausible  this  argu- 
ment may  at  first  appear,  we  are  satisfied  that  it 
cannot  long  withstand  the  force  of  candid  investi- 
gation. And  if  it  should  even  be  admitted  as 
sound  and  tenable,  it  would  effectually  defeat  its 
own  object  by  proving  entirely  too  much.  Because 
the  Scriptures  say  of  two  or  more  persons  they  are 
owe,  must  we  conclude  that  such  persons  constitute 


132  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

but  one  6e/;i^.?  Let  US  apply  the  test.  St.  Paul  says, 
1st  Cor.  iii,  "I  have  planted,  Apollos  watered; 
but  God  gave  the  increase.  So  then  neither  is  he  that 
planted  anything,  neither  he  that  watereih  ;  but 
God  that  giveth  the  increase.  Now  he  that  planteth 
and  he  that  watereth  are  one  :  and  every  nnan 
shall  receive  his  own  reward  according  to  his  own 
labor."  Are  we  to  infer  from  this  passage  that 
Paul  and  Apollos,  though  existing  in  distinct  per- 
sons, were  in  fact  but  one  and  the  same  being  ? 
The  supposition  is  too  palpably  absurd  to  be  en- 
tertained for  one  moment  by  any  person  capable 
of  thought. 

Again,  we  find  that  the  same  apostle  in  writing 
to  his  Christian  brethren  of  Galatia,  said,  "  For  ye 
are  all  one  m  Christ  Jesus.''  Gal.  iii.  28.  But  can 
any  one  suppose  that  St.  Paul  meant  to  certify  the 
persons  addressed  that  they  had' actually  lost  their 
individuality  and  really  been  all  merged  into  one 
being?  He  simply  meant  that  they  had  been  called 
by  one  spirit,  and  in  one  hope  of  their  calling — and 
that  therefore  a  unity  of  feeling  and  purpose  should 
pervade  all  their  hearts,  that  thus  they  might  strive 
together  as  one  man  for  the  faith  of  the  Gospel. 

Once  more.  The  argument  before  us  will  be  still 
more  satisfactorily  refuted  by  referring  to  the 
language  of  our  Savior  himself  on  this  subject.  He 
says,  John  xvii,  ''Neither  pray  I  for  these  alone, 
(that  is,  not  merely  for  the  disciples  who  were  with 
him)  b.ut  for  them  also  which  shall  believe  on  me 
through  their  word  ;  that  they  all  may  be  one  ;  as 
thou,  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also 
may  be  one  in  us  :  that  the  world  may  believe  that 
thou  hast  sent  me.     And   the  glory   which  thou 


THE  TRINITY.  133 

gavest  me  I  have  given  them ;  that  they  may  be 
one  EVEN  AS  WE  ARE  ONE.'^  Now  here  we  plainly 
perceive  that  onr  Lord  prayed  that  all  the  believers 
in  his  name  might  be  one  in  the  very  same  sense 
that  he  and  his  Father  xcere  one  !  Did  Jesus 
mean  that  they  should  all  be  concentrated  into  one 
being,  though  existing  in  ni?ir\y  persons  ?  No  man, 
we  think,  can  persuade  himself  into  the  belief  of 
such  a  notion.  But  Jesus  prayed  that  all  his  fol- 
lowers might  be  actuated  by  the  same  pure  mo- 
tives and  feelings,  and  thus  be  enabled  to  keep  the 
unity  of  the  spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 

And  here  it  may  not  be  improper  to  remark  that 
though  Paul  and  Apollos  were  engaged  in  the  same 
work,  and  labored  together  to  advance  the  same 
cause  and  to  accompUsh  the  same  ends,  and  were 
therefore  in  a  certain  sense  one,  the  one  was  a 
greater  apostle  than  the  other.  In  like  manner, 
though  the  Messiah  was  filled  with  the  spirit  of 
God,  and  they  were  one  in  feeling  and  purpose  and 
in  the  great  work  of  human  redemption,  Jesus 
positively  declared,  "J/y  Father  is  greater  than 
i."  And  their  perfect  oneness  of  spirit  and  pur- 
pose did  not,  therefore,  constitute  them  orie  being, 
and  equal  in  power  and  glory  ! 

3d.  But  here  we  shall  be  met  with  an  argument, 
thought  to  be  more  formidable  than  either  of  the 
foregoing,  and  which  many  persons  have  deemed 
entirely  conclusive  touching  the  subject  before  us. 
St.  Paul  says  in  the  2d  chapter  of  Philippians,  that 
Christ  Jesus,  "  being  in  the  form  of  God,  thought 
it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God."  "  Here," 
says  the  Trinitarian,  "  we  find  unequivocal  proof 
that  Christ  considered  himself  to  be  equal  with  God, 
12 


134    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  he  must  therefore  be  a  person  in  the  God- 
head/' We  shall  not  pretend  to  deny  that  this 
argument  appears  highly  satisfactory  to  many 
minds,  and  altogether  unanswerable — nor  shall  we 
censure  any  person  for  thus  believing.  Bat  we 
beg  that  the  reader  will  not  hasten  to  any  such  con- 
clusion, but  stay  his  judgment  until  we  shall  have 
bestowed  some  little  examination  upon  this  subject. 

What  is  the  subject  of  discourse  with  which  this 
particular  passage  stands  connected  ?  It  is  the 
humility  of  our  Savior.  Suffer  us  to  read  the  pas- 
sage with  the  context.  ^'  Let  this  mind  be  in  you, 
which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus:  who,  being  in  the 
form  of  God,  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God  ;  but  made  himself  of  no  reputation,  and  took 
upon  him  the  form  of  a  servant,  and  was  made  in 
the  likeness  of  men  :  And  being  found  in  fashion 
as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself,  and  became  obedi- 
ent unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
Wherefere  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  hini,  and 
given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name,"  &c. 

Now  was  it  truly  a  display  of  humility  for 
Christ  to  claim  an  equality  with  the  Sovereign 
King  of  the  universe  ?  Did  he  make  himself  of  iw 
reputation  in  asserting  his  eqiial  power  and  glory 
with  the  Almighty  and  life-sustaining  Jehovah  ? 
What  greater  honor — what  higher  reputation  could 
he  have  claimed  ?  And  was  this  his  humility  and 
extreme  lowliness  of  mind,  which  Christians  are 
exhorted  to  imitate?  No — St.  Paul  never  reasoned 
after  this  fashion. 

It  is  easily  perceived  that  the  entire  force  of  the 
whole  argument  now  under  consideration,  is^ 
derived   from  the   meaning  of  the  word  robbery. 


THE  TRixnr.  ,  135 

Christ  "  thought  it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with 
God."  This  word  is  harpai^mon  in  the  Greek, 
and  means  a  thing  coveted  or  stolen.  Wakefield 
renders  the  place,  "  Let  the  same  disposition  be  in 
you,  which  was  also  in  Christ  Jesus  ;  who,  though 
in  a  divine  form,  did  not  think  of  eaget^Iy  retaining 
tfiis  divine  likeness.''  And  even  the  Trinitarian 
Dr.  Clarke  says,  ^'  But  the  word  haiyagmon, 
which  we  translate  robbery,  has  been  supposed  to 
imply  a  thing  eagerly  to  be  seized,  coveted,  or  de- 
sired-, and  on  this  interpretation,  the  passage  has 
been  translated,  who  being  in  the  form  of  God,  did 
not  think  it  a  matter  to  be  earnestly  desired,  to  ap- 
pear equal  to  God  ;  but  made  himself  of  no  repu- 
tation.^^ And  after  stating  certain  reasons  in  favor 
of  this  translation,  he  still  farther  says,  "  On  this 
account,  I  prefer  this  sense  of  the  word  haripag- 
7?zo;7,  before  that  given  in  our  text;  which  does 
not  agree  so  well  with  the  other  expressions  in  the 
context." 

Christ,  then,  though  the  brightness  of  the 
Father's  glory  and  the  express  image  of  his  per- 
son, and  invested  with  power  over  all  flesh,  did 
not  eagerly  covet  ru.  equality  with  God;  "but 
made  himself  of  no  reputation,''^  and  hutnbled 
himself  to  the  capacity  of  a  servant  and  to  the  re- 
proach of  the  cross.  This  was  his  great  humility. 
And  that  he  did  not  aspire  to  claim  an  equality 
with  his  Father,  is  furthermore  evident  from  his 
own  language  to  the  Jews,  before  cited.  The 
Jews  stoned  him  for  what  they  called  blasphemy, 
and  because,  as  they  alleged,  that  he,  being  a  man, 
made  himself  God.  Did  Jesus  labor  to  confirm 
them  in  the  impression  that  he  did  make  himself 


13f>  UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTniNE  OF  THE  BTRLE. 

to  be  the  Supreme  Divinity  ?  He  surely  did  not. 
But  he  immediately  answered  in  these  words,  "Is 
it  not  written  in  your  law,  I  said,  ye  are  gods  ?  If  he 
called  them  gods,  unto  whom  the  word  of  God 
came,  and  the  scripture  cannot  be  broken;  say  ye 
of  him  whom  the  Father  hath  sanctified,  and  sent 
into  the  world.  Thou  blasphemest ;  because  I  said, 
I  am  the  Son  of  GodV  Jesus  promptly  and  posi- 
tively denied  that  he  claimed  to  be  the  Almighty- 
while  it  is  plain  that  he  merely  claimed  to  be  the 
Son  of  that  Father,  whose  will  he  came  into  the 
world  to  perform. 

4th.  It  may  still  be  said  that  the  disciples  of  Jesus 
ivorshipped  him — and  that  innsmuch  as  they  knew 
that  all  worship  belongs  to  God,  they  thus  clearly 
acknowledged  Jesus  Christ  to  be  the  Supreme 
Being. 

But  little  need  be  said  concerning  this  argument. 
Of  course  we  readily  admit  that  none  but  God  him- 
self is  worthy  of  supreme  adoration.  But  it  is 
plain  to  every  attentive  reader  of  the  Scriptures 
that  they  speak  of  a  worship  of  subordinate  beings, 
and  even  of  men.  What  is  worship?  Park- 
hurst  thus  defines  the  word  rendered  worship  in 
the  New  Testament : — "  Prosku7ieo,  from  pros  to, 
kuneo,  to  adore,  which  is  from  kuon,  hunos,  a  dog, 
and  so  properly  signifies  to  ct^ouc/i,  to  crawl,  and 
fawn,\\VQ  a  dog  at  his  master's  feet.  To  prostrate 
one^s  self  to,  after  the  eastern  custom,  which  is 
very  ancient  (see  Gen.  xvii.  2,  xix.  1,  xxii.  7,  xxvii. 
29,  xxxiii.  3),  and  still  used  in  those  parts  of  the 
world.  It  was  the  posture  both  of  civil  reDcrence 
or  homage,  and  of  religious  worship.  Whether 
the  former  or  the  latter  was  intended  must  be  de- 
termined by  the  circumstances  of  the  case." 


THE  TRINITY.  137 

Prostration  in  obeisence  or  supplication  before 
a  king  or  any  superior,  is  worship.  Hence  we 
read,  Dan.  ii.  46,  that  Nebuchadnezzer,  regarding 
Daniel  as  his  superior  ,  ''fell  upon  his  face  and 
worshipped  Daniel.^''  And  we  also  read  in  the  10th 
chapter  of  the  Acts,  "And  as  Peter  was  coming  in, 
Cornelius  met  him,  and  fell  down  at  his  feet,  and 
worshipped  him.  But  Peter  took  him  up,  saying, 
Stand  up  ;  I  myself  also  am  a  man."  Dr.  Clarke 
has  very  well  said  on  this  passage,  "  As  Peter's 
coming  was  announced  by  an  angel,  Cornelius 
might  have  supposed  that  Peter  himself  was  an 
angel,  and  of  a  superior  order;  seeing  he  came  to 
announce  what  the  first  angel  was  not  employed 
to  declare  ;  it  was  probably  in  consequence  of  this 
thought,  that  he  prostrated  himself  before  Peter, 
offering  him  the  highest  act  oi  civil  respect;  for 
there  was  nothing  in  the  act,  as  performed  by  Cor- 
nelius, which  belonged  to  the  worship  of  the  true 
God.  Prostrations  to  superiors  were  common  in 
all  Asiatic  countries."  And  of  the  answer  of  Peter, 
"  /  myself  also  am  a  man.^^  the  same  annotator 
says,  "  I  am  not  an  angel ;  I  am  come  to  you 
simply  on  the  part  of  God,  to  deliver  to  you  the 
doctrine  of  eternal  life." 

In  like  manner  Jesus  Christ  received — and  most 
deservedly — the  homage  of  the  children  of  men. 
But  it  should  not  be  forgotten  that  he  himself  wor- 
shipped God.  And  in  reference  to  religious  or 
spiritual  homage — such  as  belongs  to  God  alone — 
Jesus  declared  this  important  truth,  "Thou  shalt 
worship  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  him  only  shalt 
thou  serve." 

Are  we  told  that  every  creature  in  heaven  and 
12* 


138  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

on  earth  will  at  last  bow  at  the  name  of  Jesas,  and 
that  every  tongue  will  confess  him  to  be  Lord? 
We  do  not  deny  this  fact.  But  who  will  receive 
all  the  glory  ?  St.  Paul  gives  the  following  an- 
swer,— "  That  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in 
earth,  and  things  under  the  earth  ;  and  that  every 
tongue  should  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord  to 
the  glory  of  God  the  Father.^^  Phil.  ii.  10,  11. 
Jesus  is  the  conquering  Prince  of  life — and  he  will 
subdue  all  things  unto  himself,  and  make  every 
subject  willing  in  the  day  of  his  power.  And  when 
this  work  shall  have  been  accomplished,  he  will 
deliver  up  his  kingdom  to  the  Father,  {who  loill 
receive  all  the  glory  through  him,)  that  God  may 
be  all  in  all. 

5th.  One  more  supposed  proof  of  the  Trinity  still 
remains  to  ^be  noticed.  It  is  written  in  the  1st 
Epis.  of  John,  v.  7  :  **For  there  are  three  that  bear 
record  in  heaven,  the  Father,  the  Word,  and  the 
Holy  Ghost :  and  these  three  are  one."  Now 
whatever  this  singular  passage  was  intended  to 
express,  it  is  now  well  known,  and  very  freely  ad- 
mitted by  the  learned  among  Trinitarians  as  well 
as  Unitarians,  that  it  does  not  belong  to  the  sacred 
text.  Dr  Adam  Clarke  says,  "  One  hundred  and 
thirteen  Greek  Mss.  are  extant,  containing  the  First 
Epistle  of  John  ;  and  the  text  in  question  is  want- 
ing in  112!"  He  furthermore  says,  ^^ Ml  the  Greek 
fathers  omit  the  verse.''  The  Latin  fathers  do 
not  quote  it !  "It  is  wanting  in  the  German  trans- 
lation of  Luther,  and  in  all  the  editions  of  it  pub- 
lished during  his  lifetime."  "  It  is  inserted  in  our 
early    English  translations,    but   with   marks   of 


THE   TRINITY.  139 

doubtfulness:''  ''  In  short,"  he  says,  "  it  stands 
on  no  authority  sulficient  to  authenticate  any  part 
of  a  revelation,  professing  to  have  come  from  God." 

And  concerning  the  solitary  Greek  MS.  that 
does  contain  the  verse  in  question,  the  learned 
and  Trinitarian  Hokne  says,  after  carefully  ex- 
amining the  whole  subject — "  Upen  the  whole, 
it  does  not  appear  that  the  date  of  this  MS.  can  be 
earlier  than  the  close  of  the  Jifteenth\century  !^^ 
And  in  another  place  he  says,  "  the  disputed  clause 
(meaning  the  passage  before  us)  is  confessedly  s^pu- 
riousP 

Such  is  the  testimony  of  able,  zealous  and 
learned  Trinitarians  themselves.  And  as  the  pas- 
sage in  question  is  shown  by  them  to  be  entirely 
spurious^  we  do  not  think  it  either  necessary  or 
proper  to  occupy  our  time  in  any  attempt  to  ex- 
plain its  meaning.     . 


CHAPTER   XI. 

THE  TRINITY. 

(continued.) 

Having  in  the  preceding  chapter  stated  the  prin- 
cipal arguments  in  favor  of  the  Trinitarian  doctrine, 
and  shown,  as  we  trust,  that  they  utterly  fail  to 
estabUsh  a  dogma  so  manifestly  opposed  to  reason, 
and  so  entirely  inconsistent  with  plain  Scripture 
truth — we  are  now  prepared  to  offer  a  few  objec- 
tions which  we  deem  conclusive  and  unanswerable, 
against  this  doctrine.  Or,  in  other  words,  we  shall 
briefly  attempt  to  show  that  Jesus  Christ  is  not  the 
Supreme  Divinity,  but  a  dependent  and  a  subordi- 
nate being.  We  believe  that  he  is  far  exalted 
above  all  creatures — and  we  regard  him,  not  as  a 
mere  man,  but  as  the  great  Mediator  or  middle 
person  between  God  and  man  -but  we  ac- 
knowledge only  one  God,  who  is  his  Father  and  our 
Father  ! 

1st.  Jesus  worshipped  God.  He  sang  praises  to 
the  Almighty,  and  frequently  retired  from  the  peo- 
ple who  pressed  about  him  to  offer  up  prayers  to 
his  Father.  He  thus  manifestly  acknowledged  his 
dependence  upon  a  higher  power — nay,  he  even 
said,  as  plainly  as  he  could  speak,  "  I  can  of  mine 
own  self  do  nothing?''  John  v.  30.  Now  if  Jesus 
was  in  reality  the  Supreme  God,  though  veiled  in 
the  flesh  and  blood  of  man,  why  should  he  offer 
140 


THE    TRINITY.  141 

his  devotions  to  any  other  being  in  the  nniverse? 
What  possible  meaning  or  intention  could  there  be 
ill  such  acts?  Who  could  be  his  superior  and  the 
God  of  his  reHgious  homage  ?  Did  he  Worship  an 
equal?  And  if  so,  it  is  not  improper  for  us  to 
inquire  whether  that  equal,  ever  worshipped  him  ? 
If  prayers  are  exercised  among  equals,  we  can 
think  of  no  possible  reason  why  they  should  not 
be  reciprocal.  We  can  pray  to  our  equals  with 
no  greater  propriety  than  they  can  pray  to  us.  And 
yet  we  are  no  where  informed  that  God  ever  wor- 
shipped his  Son ! 

But  it  has  been  supposed  that  Jesus  Christ  was 
both  a  perfect  man  and  the  perfect  God— that  man- 
hood and  the  eternal  Divinity  were  hypostati- 
cally  united  in  him — and  that  when  he  prayed  it 
was  the  prayer  of  his  human  nature  to  his  'God- 
head. Be  it  so.  What  part  of  Jesus,  then,  was 
it  that  was  his  Supreme  Divinity — that  which 
perished  upon  the  cross?— or  that  which  outlived 
his  human  nature  ?  The  Trinitarian  will  certainly 
answer,  ''  His  body  was  that  of  a  man,  but  his 
spirit  was  no  other  than  God  himself'^  Very 
well.     So  far  we  can  understand  the  subject. 

When,  therefore,  Jesus  declared  that  his  Father 
was  greater  than  himself,  he  is  understood  to  have 
meant  that  his  Godhead  was  superior  to  his  hu- 
manity. And  when  he  earnestly  prayed  to  his 
Father,  the  address  is  supposed  to  have  proceed- 
ed from  his  human  nature  to  his  Supreme  Divini- 
ty. Thus  far  the  subject  no  doubt  seems  quite  sa- 
tisfactory to  many  minds — and  here  many  persons 
rest  their  inquiries.  But  we  hope  to  be  pardoned 
if  we  push  our  inquiries  a  little  farther.    Let  it  not 


be  said  that  this  subject  is  a  holy  mystery — for 
Scripture  does  not  mean  mystery^  but  the  revela- 
tion of  mystery. 

Follow  our  Savior  then  to  Calvary,  and  there 
behold  him  pouring  out  his  soul  unto  death  for  the 
sins  of  men.  His  human  nature  is  about  to  ex- 
pire. But  where  is  his  spirit — his  Godhead  ? 
Hear  his  dying  words :  ^'Father,  unto  thy  hands 
I  commend" — commend  what  ?  His  humanity  ? 
No — for  that  is  just  ready  to  die  upon  the  cross. 
His  Deity?  To  whom  shall  he  commend  the 
Supreme  God  of  the  universe  for  safe-keeping  and 
protection?  But  be  said,  "Father,  into  thy  hands 
I  commend  mt  spirit."  And  who  does  not  at 
once  perceive  from  this  declaration  alone,  that  the 
spirit  of  Christ  was  one  thing,  and  his  Almighty 
Father  a  much  greater  ?  Nothing  could  be  more 
palpably  incongruous  and  preposterous  than  the 
suposition  that  the  infinite  Jehovah  was  com- 
mended into  his  own  hands.  But  the  spirit  of 
Christ — all  that  constituted  him  the  Son  of  God, 
Mras  commended  into  the  hands  of  Him  from 
whom  he  received  all  his  power,  to  whom  he  tender- 
ed his  homage  and  devotion,  and  by  whom  he  was 
exalted  to  be  a  Prince  and  a  Savior  I 

Here,  then,  we  have  an  argument  which  we 
consider  conclusive  and  of  irresistible  force,  against 
that  doctrine  which  holds  the  tripersonality  of  the 
Godhead,  and  maintains  that  Jesus  Christ  is  equal 
in  power  and  glory  with  the  Almighty  Father  ! 
We  have  never  heard,  nor  do  we  expect  to  hear 
an  answer  to  this  argument. 

2d.  Although  Jesus  had  power  over  all  flesh, 
and  was  the  Lor.d  of  life  and  glory,  liis  power  was 


THE    TRINITY.  143 

all  deinved  from  God,  and  his  glory  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  his  Father.  Hence  our  Savior  him- 
self plainly  said,  ''All  power  is  given  unto  me  in 
heaven  and  in  earth."  Mat.  xxviii.  18.  Now  if  he 
had  eternally  and  independently  possessed  that 
power,  there  would  have  been  no  propriety  in  this 
declaration,  nor  would  it  have  been  consistant 
with  simple  truth !  And  then  as  to  the  glory  of 
Christ,  are  we  here  reminded  of  his  words :  John 
xvii.  5,"0  Father,  glorify  me  with  thine  own  self, 
with  the  glory  which  I  had  with  thee  before  the 
world  was^'}  We  answer  that  in  the  same  chapter 
he  also  says,  "  And  the  glory  which  thou  gavest  me  I 
have  given  them."  And  again,"  Father,  I  will  that 
they  also,  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  be  with  me 
where  I  am  ;  that  they  may  behold  my  glory, 
which  thou  hast  given  me :  for  thou  lovedst  me 
before  the  foundation  of  the  world."  The  glori/ 
of  Jesus,  therefore,  as  well  as  his  power,  was  all 
derived  from  God,  upon  whom  he  most  freely  ac- 
knowledged his  entire  dependence,  and  to  whom 
he  offered  his  prayers  and  supplications  !  And  the 
reader  is  left  to  decide  for  himself  whether  two 
persons  can  be  strictly  equal  in  power  and  glory, 
when  one  of  them  has  received  his  only  power  and 
glory  from  the  other  ! 

3d.  St.  Paul  calls  our  Savior  "  the  brightness  of 
the  Father's  glory,"  and  "  the  express  image  of 
his  person."  Heb.  i.  3.  And  again  he  says  of 
Christ,  "  who  is  the  image  of  God."  2d  Cor.  iv. 
4.  And"  still  again  he  pronounced  Jesus  to  be  "the 
image  of  the  invisible  God,  xhe  first-born  of  every 
creature.^^  Col.  i.  15.  Now  no  person  can  be  the 
image  of  himself — and  no  born  creature  can  him- 


144    UNIVERSALISM,    THE   DOCTRINE    OF  THE  BIBLE. 

self  be  the  original  source  of  life  to  all  creatures  ! 
A  painting  may  strikingly  represent  the  personal 
appearance  of  a  man,  and  a  child  may  wonder- 
fully display  all  the  moral  qualities  of  his  father. 
But  it  would  still  seem  quite  absurd  to  suppose  that 
the  ininge  and  the  person  whom  it  represents  are 
in  fact  the  same  and  exactly  equal — or  that 
the  parent  and  the  child,  though  existing  in  dis- 
tinct persons^  are  in  reality  but  one  being! 

The  fulness  of  the  Godhead  dwelt  bodily  in  our 
Savior,  and  the  spirit  of  God  was  given  him  with- 
out measure — he  was  a  perfect  representation  of 
the  invisible  God — and  indeed  he  even  said  to 
Philip,  "  He  that  hath  seen  me  hath  seen  the 
Father."  And  in  explaining  his  meaning  to  Philip 
he  said,  "  Believest  thou  not  that  I  am  in  the 
Father,  and  the  Father  in  me  ?  The  words  that  I 
speak  unto  you  I  speak  not  of  myself:  but  the 
Father  that  dwelleth  in  me,  he  doeth  the  works." 
John  xiv.  God  then  operated  through  him — and 
we  worship  the  Father  through  him — for  he  is  the 
"one  Mediator  between  God  and  men." 

4th.  The  fact  that  Jesus  was  ignorant  of  some 
things  that  were  well  known  to  his  Father,  con- 
clusively proves  that  he  was  not  equal  ivith  God 
We  need  not  attempt  to  notice  the  many  instances 
in  which  he  asked  for  information,  with  the  obvious 
desire  to  obtain  it — but  our  attention  will  be  con- 
fined to  a  single  passage,  relating  directly  to  this 
point.  In  speaking  of  the  overthrow  of  Jerusalem, 
which  he  declared  should  take  place  during  the 
generation  then  existing,  Jesus  said,  Mark  xiii.  32, 
*'  But  of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man, 
no,  not  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither 


THK    TRINlTi:'.  145 

THE  Son,  but  the  Father."  Now  how  Jesus  could 
be  the  Supreme  God,  and  yet  not  know  that  day 
and  that  hour  which  were  perfectly  known  to  his 
Father,  is  a  great  mystery,  which  we  leave  for 
the  believers  of  this  doctrine  to  explain — if  they 
can.  Our  neighbor,  Mr.  Barnes,  has  had  the  candor 
to  say  of  the  passage  in  question,  "  This  text  has 
ahcays presented  sei^ioiis  difficulties.^^  But  these 
difficulties  are  found  only  in  Trinitarianism.  And 
we  certainly  think  that  they  are  of  so  serious  a 
nature  that  they  ought  to  bring  the  believers  of 
this  doctrine  to  sober  and  serious  reflection. 

5th.  We  can  think  of  no  sufficient  evidence  to 
warrant  the  belief  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  di  person 
in  the  Godhead — or  indeed  any  other  person. 
True,  it  is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  a  person — and 
so  are  wisdom  and  understanding  and  a  thousand 
other  things,  personified  in  the  Scriptures.  But 
would  it  not  be  manifestly  improper  to  speak  of  a 
XQdi\  person  diS  being  ponred  out  upon  another? 
Certainly  it  would.  And  yet  we  read.  Acts  x.  38, 
that  "  God  anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  loith  the 
Holy  Ghost,  and  with  power."  Now  surely  God 
did  not  pjoiir  out  a  real  person  upon  his  Son — but 
he  anointed  him  with  the  spirit  of  divine  truth  and 
grace.  And  indeed  we  find  that  our  Savior  pro- 
mised his  disciples  that  he  would  send  them  the 
Uoly  Ghost,  which  he  declared  to  be  the  Spirit  of 
Truth  and  the  Comforter. 

What  many  people  have  considered  the  third 
person  in  the  Trinity ,  is  then  in  fact,  strictly  speak- 
ing, 720  joerso^i  at  all.'  It  is  that  divine  Spirit  of 
power  and  truth,  of  grace  and  comfort,  which  pro- 
ceeds from  God — which  enabled  our  Savior  to  per- 
13 


146    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

form  all  his  wonderful  works,  and  to  speak  as 
never  man  spake — and  which  still  accompanies  in 
some  degree,  the  faithful  ministrations  of  the  Gos- 
pel of  our  salvation ! 

eth.  The  testimony  of  history  on  the  subject 
before  us  is  highly  important — and  it  proves,  ac- 
cording to  the  acknowledgments  of  Trinitarians 
themselves  that  the  Trinity  was  not  even  con- 
sidered a  Christian  doctrine  until  the  4th  century 
of  the  Christian  era  !  The  learned  and  Trinitarian 
Dr.  MosHEiM  says,  "In  the  year  317,  a  contest 
arose  in  Egypt  upon  a  subject  of  much  higher  im- 
portance, and  its  consequences  were  of  a  yet  more 
pernicious  nature.  The  subject  of  this  warm  con- 
troversy, which  kindled  such  deplorable  division 
throughout  the  Christian  world,  was  the  doctrine 
of  three  persons  in  the  Godhead^  a  doctrine 
which,  in  the  three  preceding  centuries,  had  hap- 
pily escaped  the  vain  curiosity  of  human  re- 
searches, and  been  left  undefined  and  undeter- 
mined by  any  particular  set  of  ideas."  And  in  the 
same  connexion,  he  says  that  during  all  this  time, 
that  is,  from  the  establishment  of  the  Christian 
Church  to  the  commencement  of  the  4th  century, 
the  most"  profound  silence"  was  observed  in  re- 
gard to  this  doctrine. 

The  Trinity,  then,  was  plainly  a  new  doctrine 
in  the  4th  century — or,  at  least,  it  had  not  before 
received  the  attention  of  the  Christian  world.  And 
how  was  this  novel  doctrine  at  last  defined,  de- 
termined, and  incorporated  with  the  faith  of  pro- 
fessing Christians?  Dr.  MosHEiM  himself  gives  us 
the  true  answer  in  the  same  chapter  of  his  his- 
tory.   Speaking  of  a  general  Council  of  the  Church, 


THE    TKINITT.  147 

held  at  Constantinople  in  the  year  381,  by  order  of 
Theodosius,  he  says,  "  A  hundred  and  fifty  bishops, 
who  were  present  at  this  Council,  gave  the  fini  h- 
ing  touch  to  what  the  council  of  Nice  had  left  im- 
perfect, and  fixed  in  a  full  and  determined  manner, 
the  doctrine  of  three  persons  in  one  God^  which 
is  still  received  among  the  generality  of  Christians." 

Such  then,  is  briefly  the  history  of  the  Trinity, 
as  given  by  an  eminent  believer  of  this  doctrine. 
It  was  introduced  into  the  Christian  Church  in 
the  4th  century — we  think  it  will  be  very  likely  to 
be  put  out  in  the  19th.  Although  it  wasfxed  in'a 
full  and  determined  manner  by  150  bishops,  its 
foundations  will  fail — but  the  Scripture  doctrine 
that  there  is  "  one  God  and  one  Mediator  between 
God  and  ?nen^''  will  remain  forever  ! 

We  have  now  proved  that  Jesus  Christ  wor- 
shipped God — that  he  derived  all  his  power  and 
glory  from  the  Father — that  his  spirit  was  not  the 
Godhead  nor  a  person  therein — that  he  is  the 
image  of  God,  and  the  first-^orw  of  every  creature — 
that  there  were  some  things  which  he  did  not 
know,  but  which  God  knew — that  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  not  really  a  person,  but  the  spirit  of  Truth — and 
that  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  was  unknown  in 
the  Christian  Church  until  the  4th  century  ! 

Our  next  labor  will  be  to  show  who  and  what 
Christ  is.  Meantime,  the  subject  discussed  in  the 
present  and  preceding  chapter  is  earnestly  com- 
mended to  the  careful  study  of  the  reader,  in  the 
hope  that  he  may  be  led  into  all  truth  on  this  and 
on  every  other  subject  of  Divine  Revelation. 


CHAPTER    XII. 
THE    PERSON    OF    CHRIST. 

When  certain  officers  who  had  been  sent  from 
the  Chief  Priests  and  Pharisees  to  bring  Jesus  of 
]>Jazareth  to  trial  for  being  a  disturber  of  the  pubhc 
peace  and  a  pretended  prophet,  returned  from  their 
mission  alone,  they  exclaimed  of  our  Savior — 
"iVeyer  man  spake  like  this  man.''  John  vii.  46. 
The  officers  heard  Jesus  speak — but  they  had 
never  heard  such  speech  before — they  instantly 
became  impressed  with  the  thought  that  he  was  a 
wonderful  person — and  instead  of  attempting  to  lay 
hands  upon  him,  they  hastened  back  to  pubhsh  his 
fame.  Whether  these  officers  considered  Jesus  to 
be  anything  more  than  a  man  of  extraordinary 
powers,  may  well  be  questioned.  Having  heard 
of  him  through  his  enemies,  they  entirely  mistook 
his  true  character — and  when  they  came  to  hear 
his  lessons  of  wisdom,  moderation  and  peace,  en- 
forced with  an  authority  and  power  which  they 
had  never  before  witnessed,  they  were  at  once  dis- 
armed of  all  power  against  him,  and  thought  only 
of  sounding  his  praise  ! 

We  learn  from  the  chapter  containing  the  excla- 
mation of  the  officers  referred  to,  that  a  great  varie- 
ty of  opinions  prevailed  among  the  people  con- 
cerning the  person  and  character  of  our  Lord. 
"And  there  wa?  (it  is  said)  much  murmuring 
148 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  149 

among  the  people  concerning  him:  for  some  said, 
He  is  a  good  man  :  others  said,  Nay;  but  he  de- 
ceiveth  the  people."  All  confessed  that  the  works 
which  he  wrought  were  of  a  truly  marvellous 
character — but  while  some  seemed  candid  enough 
to  judge  of  him  by  his  conduct,  and  to  pronounce 
him  a  good  man,  others,  in  the  perverseness  of  a 
bad  spirit,  spake  evil  of  his  good  deeds,  and  re- 
viled him  with  the  charge  of  wicked  deception. 
While  opposing  opinions  were  thus  freely  expressed 
in  regard  to  Jesus,  he  went  up  into  the  temple  at 
Jerusalem  in  the  midst  of  the  feast,  and  there  still 
more  astonished  the  people  by  the  wisdom  and 
power  of  his  instructions.  "  And  the  Jews  mar- 
velled, saying,  How  knoweth  this  man  letters,  hav- 
ing never  learned  ?"  A  meek  and  unpretending 
man,  who  had  sat  at  the  feet  of  no  doctor  of  the 
law,  nor  sought  instruction  at  any  school  of  the 
age,  stood  forth  in  the  midst  of  the  people  and  dis- 
coursed in  words  that  glowed  with  fire  and  burned 
with  love  !  The  people,  knowing  the  meanness 
of  his  birth  and  the  history  of  his  humble  life,  but 
charmed  with  his  unearthly  eloquence  and  awed, 
by  his  authority  and  power,  began  among  them- 
selves to  inquire,  "  Whence  hath  this  man  this  wis- 
dom, and  these  mighty  works  ?  Is  not  this  the 
carpenter's  son  ?  Is  not  his  mother  called  Mary  ? 
and  his  brethren,  James,  and  Joses,  and  Simon, 
and  Judas  ?  And  his  sisters,  are  they  not  with  us  ? 
Whence  then  hath  this  man  all  these  things? 

Jesus,  witnessing  the  astonishment  of  the  people, 

modestly  certified  them  that  the  doctrine  which  he 

\aught  was  not  his  own,  but  his  who  sent  him  to 

each  man  the  way  of  life.     And  as  he  spake  with 

13* 


150  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

boldness  in  the  midst  of  his  foes,  some  of  them  of 
Jerusalem  said,  "  Is  not  this  he  whom  they  seek  to 
kill?  But  lo,  he  speaketh  boldly,  and  they  say 
nothing  unto  him.  Do  the  rulers  know  indeed 
that  this  is  the  very  Christ.  Howbeit,  we  know 
whence  this  man  is  :  but  when  Christ  cometh, 
no  man  knoweth  whence  he  is.'^  Still,  it  is 
added,  '*  that  many  of  the  people  believed  on  him, 
and  said,  When  Christ  cometh,  will  he  do  more 
miracles  than  these  which  this  man  hath  done?'' 
The  Pharisees  and  Chief  Preists  were  now  filled 
with  alarm — and  they  instantly  despatched  officers 
to  arrest  Jesus  and  to  bring  him  to  trial.  But  the  of- 
ficers, as  we  have  already  seen,  quite  forgot  the 
object  of  their  mission,  and  returned  only  to  tell 
the  wonders  which  they  had  seen  and  heard.  The 
Pharisees,  vexed  in  spirit  and  filled  with  indigna- 
tion, said  unto  them,  "  Are  ye  also  deceived  ?  Have 
any  of  the  rulers,  or  of  the  Pharisees  believed  on 
him  ?  But  this  people  who  knoweth  not  the  law 
are  cursed." 

The  causes  of  the  very  different  opinions  which 
prevailed  among  the  people  concerning  the  person 
and  character  of  our  Lord  during  his  ministry  on 
earth,  are  easily  understood.  The  common  people 
heard  him  gladly,  and  were  profitted  by  his  instruc- 
tions— while  such  as  held  high  stations  in  the 
church,  and  were  reputed  as  skilful  in  all  divine 
wisdom  and  knowledge,  dreaded  the  influence  of 
his  ministry  and  doctrine,  and  maliciously  sought 
to  destroy  him.  And  when  we  extend  our  view 
still  farther,  we  learn  that  the  rejection  of  Jesus  by 
his  kinsmen  according  to  the  flesh,  had  been  fore- 
told by  the  ancient  prophets,  a?id  was  necessary  to 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  151 

carry  out  and  fulfil  the  purposes  of  divine  wisdom 
and  grace.  • 

But  aside  from  the  opinions  of  the  Jews,  diver- 
sities of  belief  in  regard  to  the  Messiah  seem  to 
have  been  introduced  into  the  Christian  church  as 
early  as  the  days  of  the  apostles.  The  Cerinthians, 
Gnostics  and  other  heretical  seels,  soon  sprang  up 
and  began  to  introduce  their  new  forms  of  doctrine 
into  the  church  of  the  Redeemer.  While  the  Ce- 
rinthians maintained  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was  a 
mere  man,  and  the  natural  son  of  Joseph,  the 
Gnostics  entirely  denied  his  humanity,  and  con- 
tended, "  on  the  principle  that  every  thing  corporeal 
is  essentially  and  intrinsically  evil,"  that  he  was 
merely  a  man  in  appearance.  Controversies  on 
this  subject  (though  not  in  regard  to  a  trinity  of  per- 
sons in  the  Godhead)  seem  to  have  been  continued 
until  the  commencement  of  the  fourth  century, 
when  the  great  Arian  strife  rent  the  church  into 
factions.  The  Arians  '*  maintained  that  the  Son  of 
God  was  totally  and  essentially  distinct  from  the 
Father ;  that  he  was  the  first  and  noblest  of  those 
beings  whom  God  had  created — the  instrument,  by 
whose  subordination  he  formed  the  universe ;  and, 
therefore,  in^rior  to  the  Father  both  in  nature  and 
dignity :  also,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was  not  God, 
but  created  by  the  power  of  the  Son.  The  Arians 
owned  that  the  Son  was  the  Word  ;  but  denied  that 
Word  to  have  been  eternal.  They  held  that  Christ 
had  nothing  of  man  in  him  but  the  flesh,  to  which 
the  logos^  or  Word,  was  joined,  which  was  the 
same  as  the  soul  in  us."  The  Arian  doctrine,  after 
having  very  extensively  prevailed,  was  publicly 
condemned  by  the   authority  ot  the  church,  and 


152    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THF-  BIBLE 

pronounced  a  dangerous  and  pernicious  heresy — 
and  the  Trinitf ,  or  the  doctrine  of  three  persons  in 
one  G  )d,  was  substituted  in  its  place,  and  has  ever 
since  been  considered  the  true  doctrine  of  Christ  by 
a  nnajority  of  professing  Christians. 

But  we  need  not  attempt  to  trace  the  history  of 
opinions  in  the  Christian  church  in  regard  to  the 
Messiah.  We  intend  merely  to  bring  into  view  the 
three  prominent  opinions  which  are  now  held  on 
this  subject,  and  to  show  which  we  hold,  and 
which  we  believe  is  sanctioned  by  the  word  of 
God. 

The  most  common  opinion  on  the  subject  before 
us  is,  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  second  person  in  what 
is  called  the  Trinity,  and  is  therefore  fully  equal 
in  power  and  glory  with  the  Almighty  himself! 
This  we  humbly  consider  one  of  the  extremes  of 
the  errors  into  which  professing  Christians  have 
fallen  with  respect  to  the  Messiah.  The  Scriptures 
surely  tell  us  nothing  of  the  Trinity.  No  word  or 
expression,  embracing  any  such  idea,  has  ever  yet 
been  found  in  the  word  of  God.  It  is  manifest  to 
every  candid  reader  of  the  Bible  that  it  speaks  of 
one  God,  who  is  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  But  who  can  pretend  that  we  there  read 
that  this  one  God  exists  in  three  persons,  and  that 
these  three  persons  combined  make  one  God  ?  We 
can  truly  say  that  we  have  never  found  anything 
of  the  kind  in  the  divine  record,  though  we  have 
seen  much  of  it  in  the  creeds  of  human  device,  and 
heard  it  in  the  preaching  of  men. 

The  doctrine  of  the  Trinity,  we  think,  has  been 
successfully  refuted  in  the  preceding  chapters. — 
We   there   showed,    after   fairly    considering   the 


THE   PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  153 

principal  arguments  relied  upon  to  establish  this 
doctrine, — 

1st,  That  Jesus  worshipped  God,  and  could  not 
therefore  have  been  the  Supreme  Divinity  himself, 
since  it  would  be  extremely  absurd  to  suppose  that 
the  Ahnighty  was  ever  his  own  worshipper,  or  the 
worshipper  of  any  other  being.  And  as  to  the 
attempt  of  Trinitarians  to  explain  this  difficulty, 
by  alleging  that  Jesus  was  both  a  perfect  man  and 
the  Sovereign  Jehovah,  and  that  his  inferior  part 
prayed  to  his  superior  part,  we  proved  that  even 
the  spirU  of  Christ,  over  which  death  had  no 
power,  was  entirely  distinct  from  the  Godhead. — 
For  when  the  human  nature  of  our  Savior  perished 
upon  the  cross,  he  exclaimed,  in  the  agonies  of 
his  death,  "  Father,  into  thy  hands  I  commend  my 
spirit.''  The  spirit  of  Jesus,  then,  which  could 
not  die,  was  not  the  Almighty,  but  it  was  com- 
mended into  the  hands  of  the  Almighty.  We 
showed, — 

2d,  That  although  Jesus  possessed  all  power  in 
heaven  and  earth,  he  expressly  declared  that  that 
power  was  given  him,  and  acknowledged  that  of 
himself  he  could  do  nothing.  Nay,  he  even  de- 
clared of  the  glory  which  he  had  with  the  Father 

before  the  world  was,  that  it  was  given   him. 

These  declarations  cannot  be  harmonized  with  the 
notion  that  Jesus  eternally  possessed  his  power  and 
glory,  and  derived  neither  from  any  other  being 
in  the  universe.     We  showed, — 

3d,  That  Jesus  is  declared  in  the  Scriptures  to 
be  *'the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  and  the  Jirst- 
born  of  every  creature.''  An  image,  it  appears  to 
us,  cannot  be  the  same  as  the  person  which  it  rep- 


154  UMVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

resents — nor  has  it  ever  seemed  to  us  proper  to  say- 
that  the  Living  God,  from  whom  all  creatures  de- 
rive their  existence,  was  ever  the  first-born  of  any 
creatures  !     We  showed, — 

4th,  That  Jesus  was  ignorant  of  some  things 
which  were  well  known  to  his  Father,  and  that  he 
even  confessed  in  reference  to  a  certain  time  :  "But 
of  that  day  and  that  hour  knoweth  no  man,  no, 
not  the  angels  which  are  in  heaven,  neither  the 
So?if  but  the  Father."  And  to  assert,  in  view  of 
this  declaration,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Almighty 
God,  and  in  all  respects  equal  to  his  Father,  is  to 
disregard  the  Scriptures,  and  to  utter  words  in 
violation  of  sense.     We  showed, — 

5th,  That  what  many  people  call  the  third  person 
in  the  Trinity,  is  in  fact  no  person  at  all.  Jesus 
himself  has  told  us  that  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
Spirit  of  truth  and  the  Comforter.  This  spirit  was 
poured  out  upon  our  Lord— for  we  read  that  *'God 
anointed  Jesus  of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  with  pov\''er."  A  person  was  not  poured  out 
upon  the  Messiah — nor  was  a  person  sent  among 
the  apostles  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  they 
were  "filled  with  the  HoIt/  Ghost,  and  began  to 
speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance.''  The  Holy  Ghost,  then,  is  nothing 
more  nor  less  than  the  spirit  of  truth  and  of  power, 
which  proceeds  from  God.  And  why  this  Spirit 
should  be  called  a  person  in  the  Godhead,  or  God 
the  Holy  Ghost,  we  have  never  yet  been  informed. 
And  we  showed, — 

6th,  That,  according  to  the  testimony  of  Trini- 
tarians themselves,  the  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  was 
unknown  in  the  Christian  Church  until  the  com- 


THE    PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  155 

menceinent  of  the  fourth  century.  It  is  purely  a 
doctrine  of  the  Papal  Church,  and  was  baptized  in 
the  name  of  Christ  by  no  other  than  human  au- 
thority. We  reject  it  as  an  old  error,  as  foolish 
and  as  false  as  the  monstrous  doctrine  of  transub- 
stantiation. 

The  other  extreme  of  error  in  regard  to  our  sub- 
ject, holds  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  mere  man,  of 
the  earthy  race  of  Adam,  and  the  natural  son  of 
Joseph.  This  opinion  we  cannot  hold  and  never 
could  believe,  because  we  are  persuaded  that  it 
stands  opposed  to  the  manifest  doctrine  of  the  New- 
Testament.  The  account  which  we  have  in  the 
Scriptures  of  the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  into  the 
world,  proves  that  birth  to  have  been  miraculous. 
He  had  no  father  on  earth,  but  was  begotten  of  the 
Holy  Ghost — and  hence  he  is  expressly  and  re- 
peatedly called  the  Son  of  God,  and  the  only-begot- 
ten Son  of  God  !  Surely,  we  are  not  at  liberty  to 
say  that  these  and  similar  expressions  are  without 
meaning,  and  to  assert  in  opposition  to  what  they 
obviously  signify,  that  Jesus  Christ  was  a  mere 
descendant  of  the  earthy  Adam,  and  came  into  the 
world  just  as  other  men  do. 

The  first  or  earthy  Adam  was  directly  created 
by  the  Lord  without  the  agency  of  any  creature. 
God  moulded  him  into  form  of  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  and  breathed  into  him  the  spirit  of  life, 
and  thus  constituted  him  a  living  soul.  This  crea- 
tion was  truly  miraculous,  because  neither  a  man 
nor  a  woman  was  made  the  agent  by  which  it  was 
effected.  It  was  a  more  wonderful  work  than  the 
conception  of  Jesus  by  the  Holy  Ghost  in  the  Vir- 
gin Mary.     In  the  former  case  God  acted  without 


156   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

any  agent,  in  the  latter  the  woman  was  made  the 
instrumeni  by  which  the  work  was  wrought.  And 
when  we  are  told,  in  the  face  of  Scripture  testimo- 
ny, that  it  is  unreasonable  to  believe  in  the  miracu- 
lous conception  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth,  we  have  only 
to  ask  in  reply,  what  then  shall  we  think  of  the 
original  creation  of  man,  which  was  a  far  greater 
miracle  ? 

From  the  first  man,  formed  of  the  dust  of  the 
ground,  the  entire  race  has  proceeded.  All  alike 
partake  of  his  nature,  his  infirmities  and  his  death. 
Hence  the  Apostle  Paul  says,  "  By  one  man  sin 
entered  into  the  world,  and  death  by  sin  ;  and  so 
death  passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have 
sinned. ''  When  the  fulness  of  time  had  come, 
God  brought  into  the  world  the  second  man,  who 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  new  or  spiritual  creation, 
as  the  first  man  did  at  the  head  of  the  old  or  earthy 
creation.  And  this  second  man,  though  pronounced 
to  be  the  quickening  spirit  and  the  Lord  from  hea- 
ven, and  though  begotten  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  was 
born  of  a  woman,  to  show  the  connexion  in  him 
between  the  divine  and  the  human  nature,  and  to 
prove  that  he  is  in  fact  the  Mediator  or  middle 
person  between  God  and  men  !  As  a  partaker  of 
flesh  and  blood,  he  was  touched  with  the  feeling  of 
our  infirmity,  and  tempted  in  all  points  like  as  we 
are — but  as  the  Son  of  God,  the  only-begotten  and 
well-beloved  of  the  Father,  he  sinned  not.  In  his 
humiliation  he  died  the  death  of  man — but  as  the 
resurrection  and  the  life  of  the  world,  he  triumphed 
over  the  powers  of  death,  and  gloriously  ascended 
to  heaven  !  And  though  he  took  part  of  our  na- 
ture by  being  born  of  a  woman,  and  died  as  a  man, 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  157 

it  was  to  convince  us  that  we  also  shall  be  made 
partakers  of  his  nature  in  the  resurrection  from 
the  dead  ! 

St.  Paul  has  most  clearly  and  beautifully  set 
forth  this  subject  in  his  discourse  on  the  resurrec- 
tion and  the  life  immortal.  He  says,  1st  Cor.  xv, 
"  There  is  a  natural  body,  and  there  is  a  spiritual 
body.  And  so  it  is  written,  the  first  Adam  was  made 
a  living  soul ;  the  last  Adam  v^as  made  a  quicken- 
ing spirit.  Howbeit,  that  was  not  first  which  is 
spiritual,  but  that  which  is  natural ;  and  afterward 
tliat  which  is  spiritual.  The  first  man  is  of  the 
earth,  earthy :  the  second  man  is  the  Lord  from 
heaven.  As  is  the  earthy,  such  are  they  that  are 
earthy  :  and  as  is  the  heavenly,  such  are  they  also 
that  are  heavenly.  And  as  we  have  borne  the 
image  of  the  earthy,  we  shall  also  bear  the  image 
of  the  heavenly."  Now  it  appears  to  us  that  the 
important  truth  here  expressed,  is  denied  and  en- 
tirely shut  out  of  view  by  the  supposition  that 
Jesus  Christ  was  notliing  more  than  an  extraordi- 
nary man,  a  distinguished  reformer,  and  an  eminent 
prophet.  And  this  supposition  seems  also  to  un- 
dermine the  very  foundations  of  Christian  faith  and 
iiope,  and  to  leave  man  with  no  certain  and  blessed 
assurance  of  that  immortal  and  heavenly  inheri- 
tance which  the  Scriptures  have  promised  us  in 
Christ  Jesus  our  Lord. 

Reader,  think  on  this  subject.  Jesus  is  declared 
to  be  the  second  man,  the  quickening  spirit,  and 
the  Lord  from  heaven.  What  are  we  to  under- 
stand by  these  expressions?  Do  they  convey  to 
the  mind  no  significance  whatever,  but  leave  us 
still  to  suppose  that  Jesus  was  nothing  more  than 
14 


158    UNIVETtSALISiM,  THE  DOCTKINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

a  descendant  of  the  first  man  and  the  earthy  Adam? 
If  Cain  had  been  called  '•  the  second  man,''  the 
expression  might  well  be  understood  in  this  sense. 
But  in  this  case  there  could  have  been  no  proprie- 
ty in  calling  him  the  quickening  spirit  and  the 
Lord  from  heaven.  It  is  in  Jesus,  in  his  image 
and  nature  that  we  are  promised  life  and  blessings, 
after  having  died  in  the  nature  of  Adam.  This  is 
the  hope  of  the  Christian.  But  if  Jesus  be  not  the 
second  man,  and  the  head  of  the  new  and  spiritual 
creation,  in  which  we  are  promised  life,  we  are 
without  hope,  and  our  faith  is  vain. 

All  our  assurance  of  the  blessings  of  immortality 
and  heavenly  bliss  is  founded  upon  the  promise 
that  we  shall  be  made  alive  in  Christ.  And  the 
joy  of  this  assurance  is  increased  even  to  fulness 
and  perfection  by  faith  in  the  promise  that  all  who 
bear  the  image  of  the  first  man  shall  be  made  alive 
and  blessed  in  the  nature  of  the  second  man. — 
Hence  the  Apostle  Paul  says  of  the  Savior,  Jesus 
Christ,  ^'  Who  shall  change  our  vile  body,  that  it 
may  be  fashioned  like  unto  his  glorious  body,  ac- 
cording to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  even  to 
subdue  all  things  unto  himself."  Phil.  iii.21.  And 
again,  it  is  written,  "  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even 
so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive,"  1  Cor.  xv.  22. 
When  this  declaration  shall  have  been  fulfilled,  it 
is  added  by  the  inspired  apostle,  that  all  things  will 
then  be  made  subject  to  Jesus,  eye/z  «5  he  also  shall 
be  subject  unto  the  Father,  that  God  may  be  all 
in  all! 

The  reader,  then,  will  understand  that  we  reject 
both  the  Trinitarian  and  the  Humanitarian  doc- 
trines.    We  deny  that  Jesus  was  the  Supreme  God  ; 


THE  PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  159 

and  we  also  deny  tliat  lie  was  a  mere  man.  Not 
holding  either  of  these  notions,  which  we  consider 
the  two  extremes  of  error  on  the  subject  before  us, 
we  maintain  what  the  Scriptures  plainly  declare, 
that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God, 
the  second  man,  the  quickening  spirit,  the  Lord 
from  heaven,  and  the  one  Mediator  between  God 
and  men.  As  to  the  pre-existence  of  Christ,  that 
is,  his  existence  before  his  appearance  among  men 
in  the  flesh,  we  do  not  feel  fully  authorized  to  re- 
ject this  doctrine.  St.  Paul  says  of  Jesus,  "  Who 
is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  first-born  of 
every  creature.^''  And  in  speaking  of  the  ancient 
fathers,  he  also  says,  1st  Cor.  x.  2-4,  "And  were 
all  baptized  unto  Moses  in  the  cloud,  and  in  the 
sea,  and  did  all  eat  the  same  spiritual  meat,  and  did 
all  drink  the  same  spiritual  drink  :  (for  they  drank 
of  that  spiritual  Rock  that  followed  them,  and  thai 
Rock  was  Christ.'')^  And  we  still  further  find  that 
St.  Peter,  in  speaking  of  the  salvation  wrought  out 
by  Christ,  says,  in  his  1st  Epistle,  and  1st  chapter, 
"  Of  which  salvation  the  prophets  have  inquired 
and  searched  diligently,  who  prophesied  of  the 
grace  that  should  come  unto  you  :  searching  what, 
or  what  manner  of  time  tfye  spirit  of  Christ  v)hich 
was  in  them  did  signify,  when  it  testified  before- 
hand the  sufferings  of  Christ,  and  the  glory  that 
should  follow." 

Now  in  these  passages  Christ  is  certainly  spoken 
of  as  having  existed,  and  as  being  with  men  and 
infusing  his  spirit  into  them,  long  before  his  advent 
into  \he  world.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that 
he  frequently  spake  of  himself  as  having  come 
down  from  heaven.     And  this  declaration  perfect- 


160    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ly  agrees  with  the  testimony  of  St.  Paul,  that  Jesus 
is  the  second  man,  and  the  Lord  from  heaven. — 
We  are  informed  in  the  16th  chapter  of  Matthew, 
that  Jesus  inquired  of  his  disciples,  saying,  *'  Whom 
do  men  say  that  I,  the  Son  of  man,  am  ?  And  they 
said,  Some  say  that  thou  art  John  the  Baptist ;  some, 
Ehas  ;  and  others,  Jeremias,  or  one  of  the  prophets. 
He  saith  unto  them,  But  whom  say  ye  that  I  am? 
And  Simon  Peter  answered  and  said,  thou  art  the 
Christ,  the  Son  of  the  hving  God."  Now  mark 
the  answer  of  Jesus  :  ^'And  Jesus  answered  and 
said  unto  him,  Blessed  art  thou,  Simon  Bar-jona  : 
for  flesh  and  blood  hath  not  revealed  it  unto  tiiee, 
but  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven."  What  was 
this  revelation  that  was  made  to  Peter  by  the  Al- 
mighty ?  Was  it  that  Jesus  stood  before  him  as  a 
simple  man?  It  surely  needed  no  revelation  from 
heaven  to  acquaint  Peter  with  this  fact.  He  had 
eyes,  and  could  see.  But  Jesus,  we  believe,  was 
something  more  and  greater  than  a  man.  And  the 
revelation  which  Peter  had  received  from  heaven 
enabled  him  to  perceive  that  Jesus  was  the  Son, 
and  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the  Living  God  ! 

But  a  still  stronger  passage  relating  to  this  sub- 
ject, is  found  in  2d  Cor.  viii.  9  :  *'  For  ye  know  the 
grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that,  though  he  was 
rich,  yet  for  your  sakes  he  became  poor,  that  ye, 
through  his  poverty  might  be  rich."  Now  it  would 
seem  extremely  absurd  to  suppose  that  God  ever 
became  poor  in  any  sense  whatever.  He  is  infi- 
nitely self-sufficient,  and  necessarily  and  eternally 
rich  in  all  his  perfections  and  glories.  But  Jesus 
Christ  was  ric.li^  and  he  became  i^onr.  And  it  has 
well  been  asked,  "  If  Jesus  Christ,  as  some  contend, 


THE    PERSON  OF  CHRIST.  161 

was  only  a  mere  man,  in  what  sense  would  he  be 
said  to  be  rich  ?  Wis  family  was  poor  in  Bethle- 
hem ;  his  parents  were  very  poor  also  ;  he  himself, 
never  possessed  any  property  among  men,  from 
the  stable  to  the  cross  ;  nor  had  he  anything  to  be- 
queath at  his  death  but  h\s peace.  And  in  what 
way  could  the  poverty  of  one  make  a  multitude 
rich?  These  are  questions,  which  on  the  Socinian 
scheme  can  never  be  satisfactorily  answered."  Ad- 
mit that  Jesus  lived  before  Abraham,  and  that  at 
the  proper  time  he  came  down  from  heaven,  and 
was  made  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and 
humbled  himself  even  to  the  death  of  the  cross — 
and  the  whole  subject  is  at  once  rendered  plain  to 
every  mind.  We  see  how  he  was  rich — how  he 
became  poor,  and  how  we  through  his  poverty  are 
niade  rich! 

While  we  thus  speak,  however,  the  reader  will 
understand  us  to  mean  that  Jesus  Christ  is  a  crea- 
ted and  a  dependent  being.  The  glory  which  he 
had  with  tlie  Father  before  the  world  was,  he 
plainly  declares,  was  given  him — his  power  was 
all  derived  from  God — and  he  freely  confesses  that 
of  himself  he  could  do  nothing  !  In  what  is  called 
the  eternal  sonship  of  Jesus,  we  certainly  have  no 
faith.  W^e  believe  that  there  was  a  time  when  he 
did  not  exist,  but  that  God  created  him.  He  is  not 
only  distinct  in  his  person  from  God,  but  he  is 
the  child  and  the  creature  of  God.  But  he  still 
jiolds  a  relation  to  the  Divinity  which  no  other 
creature  bears,  being  the  only  begotten  Son  of  the 
Father.  It  is  promised  that  all  men  shall  be  made 
alive  in  his  nature — but  even  then  he  will  hold  the 
pre-eminence  as  our  Elder  Brother  and  the  Head 
14' 


of  every  man.  God  has  made  him  a  Prince  and  a 
Savior,  and  given  him  power  to  have  life  in  him- 
self— and  throngh  him  God  will  raise  the  dead  and 
finish  the  work  of  redemption. 

Dr.  Clarke,  of  the  Methodist  Church,  in  his  at- 
tempt to  prove  that  there  never  was  a  time  when 
Jesns  did  not  exist,  has  expressed  exactly  what  we 
believe  in  regard  to  the  notion  of  eternal  sonshi/p. 
He  says,  in  his  note  on  Luke  i.  35,  "  Here  I  trust 
I  may  be  permitted  to  say,  with  all  due  respect  for 
those  who  differ  from  me,  that  the  doctrine  of  the 
eternal  sonship  of  Christ  is,  in  my  opinion,  anti- 
scriptural  and  highly  dangerous.  This  doctrine  I 
reject  for  the  following  reasons: 

"  1st.  I  have  not  been  able  to  find  any  express 
declaration  in  the  Scriptures  concerning  it. 

"  2ndly.  If  Christ  be  the  Son  of  God  as  to  his 
divine  nature,  then  he  cannot  be  eternal :  for  son 
\m^\\QS  ?i  father  ;  and  father  implies,  in  reference 
to  son,  'precedency  in  time,  if  not  in  nature  too. — 
Father  and  son  imply  the  idea  o^ generation^  and 
generation  implies  a  time  in  which  it  z^rt.9  effected, 
and  time  also  antecedent  to  such  generation. 

"  3dly.  If  Christ  be  the  Son  o(  God  as  to  his 
divine  nature,  then  the  Father  is  of  necessity  prior, 
consequently  superior  to  him. 

"4thly.  Again,  if  this  divine  naliire  were  begot- 
ten of  the  Father,  then  it  must  be  in  tiine  ;  i.  e. 
there  was  a  period  in  which  it  did.  not  exist,  and  a 
period  when  it  began  to  exist.  This  destroys  the 
eternity  of  our  blessed  Lord,  and  robs  him  at  once 
of  his  Godhead. 

"  5thly.  To  say  that  he  was  begotten  from  all 
eternity,  is  in  my  opinion  absurd  ;  and  the  phrase 


THE  PERSON  OP  CHRIST.  163 

eternal  Son,  is  a  positive  self-contradiction.  Eter- 
nity is  that  which  has  no  beginning,  nor  stands  in 
any  reference  to  tmie.  Son  supposes  time,  gene- 
ration, and  father ;  and  time  also  antecedent  to 
such  generation.  Therefore  the  conjunction  of 
these  two  terms  son  and  eternity  is  absolutely  im- 
possible, as  they  imply  essentially  different  and 
opposite  ideas." 

The  arguments  here  presented,  though  intended 
to  prove  that  Christ  has  existed  from  all  eternity, 
and  as  to  his  divine  nature  was  never  begotten, 
plainly  set  forth  the  truth  in  regard  to  the  sonship 
of  the  Messiah.  We  believe  that  Jesus  in  refer- 
ence to  his  whole  nature,  and  in  every  sense  of  the 
word  is  the  Son  of  God — that  there  was  a  period 
in  which  he  did  not  exist,  and  a  period  when  he 
began  to  exist — and  that  tiie  Almighty  is  prior  in 
existence,  and  consequently  .superior  to  him.  As 
a  creature  existing  on  the  earth  and  in  the  human 
form,  Jesus  was  not  and  could  not  be  considered 
"  the  first-born  of  every  creature''^ — for  many  gene- 
rations had  been  born  long  betbre  his  appearance 
in  the  world.  But  Jesus  was  begotten  when  he 
began  to  exist  as  the  first  of  all  God's  creatures. — 
And  St.  Paul  has  said,  Heb.  i.  7,  "And  again, 
when  he  bringeth  in  the  First-begotten  into  the 
world,  he  saith.  And  let  all  the  angels  of  God  wor- 
ship him."  Here  Jesus  is  represented  as  being 
the  first-begotten  of  the  Father  before  he  was 
brought  into  the  world.  ^' This  (it  may  truly  be 
said)  destroys  the  eternity  of  our  blessed  Lord,  and 
robs  him  at  once  of  his  Godhead" — for  "  son  sup- 
poses time,  generation^  and  father ;  and  time  also 
antecedent  to  such  generation."     We  therefore  re- 


164    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

ject  the  doctrine  of  the  eternal  sons/tip.  of  Christ, 
not  because  we  suppose  that  he  has  eternally  ex- 
isted, but  because  we  beHeve  that  he  was  created 
by  that  One  Eternal  and  Self-Existent  Jehovah 
who  was  never  begotten  in  any  way,  ari^  who 
never  began  to  exist ! 

What  we  have  now  said  in  regard  to  the  exis- 
tence of  Christ  as  a  creature  of  God  before  his  ap- 
pearance in  the  flesh,  the  reader  is  desired  candidly 
to  consider  for  himself.  The  writer  wishes  not  to 
force  his  peculiar  belief  upon  any  person.  He 
claims  no  infallibility,  but  humbly  confesses  his 
great  liability  to  err.  Still  the  Scriptures  are  our 
guide — and  he  who  attempts  to  preach  the  doctrine 
of  Jesus,  should  teach  just  what  he  honestly  be- 
lieves the  Scriptures  to  teach.  And  whether  we 
be  right  or  wrong  in  our  views  of  the  pre-existenco 
of  the  Son  of  God,  we  feel  very  confident  that 
the  Scriptures  present  him  before  our  minds  as  a 
being  far  superior  to  man.  He  stands  at  the  head 
of  that  better  and  spiritual  creation,  in  which  we 
hope  to  enjoy  immortal  life  and  blessings,  after  our 
feeble  earthly  tabernacles  shall  have,  mouldered 
away  in  the  dust.  Jesus,  under  God,  is  our  Sa- 
vior and  the  Savior  of  the  world — and  in  him,  we 
rejoice  to  believe,  that  all  who  die  in  Adam  shall 
be  made  alive  and  blessed.  This  is  our  hope,  our 
joy,  and  the  crown  of  our  rejoicing. 


CHAPTER   XIII. 
THE    MISSION     OF  CHRIST. 

For  what  purpose  did  the  Son  of  God  come  into 
the  world  ?  On  this  subject  many  persons  have 
strangely  erred — and  in  their  attempts  to  exalt  the 
Son,  they  have  fearfully  detracted  from  the  love- 
liness of  the  Father.  It  has  been  supposed  that 
God  was  incensed  against  the  human  race — that 
the  glittering  sword  of  his  vengeancs  was  un- 
sheathed and  about  to  strike  the  fatal  blow  that 
would  have  brought  the  whole  race  of  Adam  to 
unceasing  woes — but  that  Jesus,  moved  with  ten- 
derness and  compassion,  flew  upon  the  wings  of 
lo^e  to  the  world,  and  shielded  guilty  and  helpless 
man,  by  consenting  that  the  sword  of  the  avenger 
should  be  bathed  in  his  own  innocent  blood  !  In 
this  way  it  has  been  thought  that  vindictive  justice 
was  turned  back  from  its  course — that  the  indig- 
nation of  the  Lord  was  stayed  in  its  fearful  might, 
and  that  man  was  thus  afforded  a  hiding  place  and 
a  shelter  from  the  overflowing  scourge  of  ven- 
geance !  With  such  notions  of  God  and  his  Son, 
men  have  been  taught  to  fly  to  Jesus  to  escape  the 
wrath  of  God  !  And  what  seems  still  more  wild 
and  extravagant,  persons  who  thus  believe  and 
teach,  maintain,  after  all,  that  God  and  Christ  are 
but  one  and  the  same  being  !  ! 

What  a  strange  confusion  of  ideas  is  thus  pre- 
sented before  us  !     God  burning  with  fierce  indig- 

165 


166    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

nation  against  men — Jesus  loving  and  pitying 
them,  and  laying  down  his  life  to  save  them  from 
the  endless  curses  of  God's  wrath — and  yet  God 
sent  his  Son  into  the  world  on  an  errand  of  mercy, 
and  they  are  in  fact  all  the  while  the  same  Being  ! 
Did  ever  the  folly  of  man  in  its  wildest  excesses, 
conceive  of  any  thing  more  strangely  contradictory 
and  shocking  to  all  common  sense  ? 

But  when  we  leave  such  wild  vagaries  and  turn 
our  attention  to  the  Scriptures,  we  there  find  no- 
thing of  the  kind,  but  the  very  reverse.  The  mission 
of  Christ  into  the  world  was  not  only  in  obedience 
to  the  Divine  will,  but  it  was  emphatically  a  mani- 
festation of  the ^re«/  love  which  God  bore  to  the 
children  of  men.  On  this  subject  it  is  not  necessary 
that  we  should  cite  a  multitude  of  passages.  One 
or  two  positive  declarations  of  the  Divine  Word 
ought  to  be  considered  quite  sufficient.  In  the  5th 
chapter  of  Romans,  we  read  as  follows :—"  For 
when  we  were  yet  without  strength,  in  due  time 
Christ  died  for  the  ungodly.  For  scarcely  for  a 
righteous  man  will  one  die  :  yet  peradventure  for 
a  good  man  some  would  even  dare  to  die.  But 
God  com?nendeth  his  love  towards  us,  in  that,  while 
we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  us."  Here  it 
is  worthy  of  special  remark,  that  Christ  did  not 
come  into  the  world  and  suffer  and  die  to  secure 
for  us  the  love  of  God— but  his  death  was  the 
commendation  and  the  proof  of  that  love  which 
already  existed  in  the  Divine  mind.  No  scheme 
of  God  was  baffled — no  change  was  effected  in 
him — no  new  principle  was  introduced  into  his 
government — no  work  was  wrought  but  that  which 
he  planned — and  no  love  was  displayed  but  that 
which  proceeded  from  Ilim  alone  ! 


THE  MISSION  OF  CHRIST.  167 

Again,  we  read,  Ephesians,  2(J  chapter,  •'  But 
God,  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  his  great  love  where- 
with he  loved  us,  even  when  we  were  dead  171  sins, 
hath  quickened  us  together  with  Christ,  (by  grace 
ye  are  saved,)  and  hath  raised  us  up  together,  and 
made  us  sit  together  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ 
Jesus:  That  in  the  ages  to  come  he  might  show 
the  exceeding  riches  of  his  grace,  in  his  kindness 
toward  us,  through  Christ  Jesus."  The  lowest 
condition  of  man  is  here  described,  for  he  is  even 
represented  as  being  dead  in  sins.  And  yet  God 
in  his  great  love  sent  his  Son  to  be  the  Savior  of 
the  world — and  intended  in  this  way  to  display  to 
future  ages  the  exceeding  riches  of  his  kindness 
and  grace  through  the  great  Deliverer  of  men  from 
the  power  of  sin  and  death  !  To  us  this  bright 
display  is  now  made — and  generations  yet  unborn 
will  rise  up  to  praise  God  for  the  hopes  and  the 
comforts  of  the  Gospel.  It  was  the  intention  of 
our  Father  in  heaven  to  open  in  the  world  through 
his  only  begotten  Son  a  dispensation  of  mercy  and 
love,  which  will  continue  to  bless  our  race  to  the 
latest  generation — and  which  will  not  end  until 
that  Son,  seeing  the  travail  of  his  soul  with  satis- 
faction and  joy,  shall  deliver  up  the  mediatorial 
kingdom  to  the  Father,  that  God  mai/  be  all  in  all! 

Jesus,  then,  came  into  the  world  to  do  the  will 
of  God  and  to  commend  his  love  to  the  children  of 
men.  He  died  to  abolish  the  whole  law  of  sacri- 
fices by  the  one  perfect  offering  of  himself;  and  that 
he  might  thus  be  enabled  to  rise  from  the  dead,  and 
give  us  the  assurance  of  our  future  and  immortal 
life.  He  now  lives  as  the  exalted  Prince  and 
Savior,  being  Lord  of  the  dead  as  well  as  of  the 


16S    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

living — and  though  all  things  have  been  given  into 
his  hand,  he  has  himself  testified  that  .of  all  the 
Father  hath  given  him,  he  will  lose  nothing,  but 
raise  it  up  again  at  the  last  day  !  We  believe  on 
his  word  and  confide  in  his  promises,  and  we  are 
thus  enabled  by  faith  to  look  onward  to  the  time 
when  death  shall  be  despoiled  of  his  victoty  and 
mortality  swallowed  up  of  the  triumphs  of  life, 
when  the  work  of  redemption  shall  be  finished,  and 
the  happiness  of  heaven  shall  be  full  and  perfect  ! 

The  principal  doctrinal  truths  which  Jesus  came 
into  the  world  to  teach,  may  be  briefly  comprised 
in  the  following  particulars  : 

1st.  He  taught  the  universal  paternity  of  God, 
declaring  him  to  be  the  Father  of  all  men,  and  kind 
even  to  the  unthankful  and  the  evil.  And  from  this 
common  relation  of  God  to  the  spirits  of  all  flesh, 
and  his  impartial  and  universal  beneficence,  Jesus 
drew  the  great  lessons  of  duty  which  his  Gospel 
requires  at  the  hands  of  man.  After  urging  us  to 
love  our  enemies,  to  bless  those  who  curse  us,  to 
do  good  to  those  who  hate  us,  and  to  pray  for 
those  who  despitefully  use  and  persecute  us,  he 
thus  states  the  reason  by  which  these  duties  are 
enforced: — "That  ye  may  be  the  children  [that  is, 
in  character']  of  your  Father  which  is  in  heaven  : 
for  he  maketh  his  sun  to  rise  on  the  evil  and  on  the 
good,  and  sendeth  rain  on  the  just  and  on  the  un- 
just." God  then  is  the  Father  even  of  such  as 
neglect  these  duties — but  the  obedient  become  his 
children  in  feeling,  in  spirit,  in  conduct,  and  in 
character. 

2d.  Jesus  also  taught  the  universal  brotherhood 
of  man,  declaring  to  the  multitude  and  to  his  dis- 


THE  MISSION  OF  CHRIST.  169 

Q,\^\Q^^^Uind  all  ye  are  brethren.^'  This  truth,  as 
well  as  the  foregoing,  is  repeated  in  a  great  variety 
of  forms,  and  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  the  es- 
sential truths  of  the  Gospel.  St.  Paul  not  only 
declares  tliat  "there  is.  one  God  and  Father  of  all," 
but  he  also  testifies  that  all  are  members  of  one 
body,  and  "  that  the  head  of  every  man  is  Chrisf 
See  1st  Cor.  xi.  3.     And, 

3d.  Jesus  has  furthermore  taught,  and  herein 
consists  the  greatest  glory  of  his  revelation,  that 
man  is  destined  to  a  holy  and  happy  existence  be- 
yond the  grave.  On  this  momentous  subject  no 
certain  and  comforting  hope  was  ever  enjoyed, 
until  He  who  is  himself  the  resurrection  and  the 
life,  came  to  bring  life  and  immortality  to  light 
through  his  Gospel.  Nor  has  he  merely  given  us 
assurances  ^i future  life,  but  he  has  taught  us  that 
in  the  future  world  the  children  of  the  resurrection 
shall  be  equal  unto  the  angels,  and  free  from  the 
power  of  death,  and  the  children  of  God,  being  the 
children  of  the  resurrection.  And  that  that  happy 
and  glorious  life  is  intended  in  the  purposes  of  God 
for  all  mankind,  is  proved  by  the  testimony  of  the 
apostle,  who  declared  that  "as  in  Adam  all  die, 
even  so  in  Christ  shall  all  be  made  alive. '^ 

Such  then  are  the  distinguishing  features  of  the 
doctrine  of  the  Son  of  God.  Much  more  could  be 
said  in  reference  to  these  things — but  we  have 
aimed  merely  at  a  very  brief  statement  of  the 
purpose  for  which  our  Savior  came  into  the  world, 
and  of  what  he  taught  the  children  of  men.  Here 
we  pause  for  the  present,  intending  in  the  chapters 
that  shall  follow  to  consider  the  subject  of  salva- 
tion, and  to  show  how  God  can  be  the  Savior  of 
15 


170    UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

all  men,  according  to  the  Scriptures,  and  yet  the 
special  Savior  of  none  but  believers.  In  the  con- 
sideration of  that  subject  we  shall  find  it  necessary 
to  notice  at  greater  length  several  topics  merely 
glanced  at  in  this  chapter. 

The  reader  is  desired  to  ponder  with  a  candid 
spirit  upon  what  we  have  said  concerning  the  per- 
son and  the  mission  of  the  Son  of  God — to  guard 
against  believing  merely  because  we  have  written, 
and  to  search  only  for  truth.  And  may  God,  from 
whom  all  truth  must  come,  guide  you  into  the  right 
way,  and  give  you  peace. 


CHAPTER    XIV. 
UNIVERSAL    SALVATION. 

St.  Paul  said,  1st  Tim.iv.  10,  "  For  therefore  we 
both  labor  and  suffer  reproach,  because  we  trust  in 
the  living  God,  ivho  is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  espe- 
cially of  those  that  believe.^'  Guided  by  the  truth 
here  expressed,  it  shall  be  our  object  in  the  follow- 
ing chapters  to  establish  two  important  facts — 
namely,  1.  That  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men;  and, 
2.  That  the  true  believer  in  Christ  enjoys  a  special 
salvation.  Before  proceeding  Avith  this  labor,  how- 
ever, it  may  not  be  improper  barely  to  notice  an 
objection  which  is  frequently  urged  against  the 
doctrine  which  we  believe. 

It  has  been  said  that  "if  Christ  and  his  apostles 
taught  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation,  it  seems 
unaccountably  strange  that  they  should  have  suf- 
fered so  much  opposition  and  abuse  at  the  hands  of 
wicked  and  ungodly  men — inasmuch  as  this  doc- 
trine is  exactly  suited  to  the  depraved  feelings  and 
corrupt  passions  of  the  vile  and  the  irreligious." 
Now  persons  who  thus  speak,  and  who  fancy  that 
they  have  found  a  great  wonder,  on  the  supposi- 
tion that  our  doctrine  is  true,  might  find  a  very 
plain  answer  to  their  great  objection  in  the  very 
words  of  St.  Paul,  already  cited.  It  is  there  de- 
clared in  language  which  none  need  misunderstand, 
that  the  apostle  and  his  fellow-believers  in  Christ 
labored  and  suffered  reproach  because  thev  trusted 

171 


172  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Savior  of  all  men, 
especially  of  those  that  believe.  The  very  thing, 
therefore,  which  the  objector  most  coolly  assumes 
would  have  exempted  the  apostles  from  all  oppo- 
sition at  the  hands  of  the  ungodly,  was  the  means 
of  exposing  them  toreproach,  and  of  bringing  down 
upon  their  heads  the  malice  of  wicked  men  ! 

Who  were  they  that  bitterly  persecuted  Jesus  of 
Nazareth,  and  reviled  and  abused  the  chosen  mes- 
sengers of  his  truth  ?  Were  they  the  publicans  and 
sinners  and  common  people,  who  were  not  reckoned 
among  the  pious,  the  holy  and  the  sanctified  elect? 
No.  These  despised  classes  of  people  loved  the 
instructions  of  our  Lord,  and  listened  with  wonder 
and  admiration  to  the  "gracious  words  that  pro- 
ceeded out  of  his  mouth."  The  15th  chapter  of 
Luke  begins  with  these  words,  "Then  drew  near 
unto  him  (Jesus)  all  the  publicans  and  sinners,  for 
to  hear  him.  And  the  Pharisees  and  Scribes  mur- 
mured, saying.  This  man  receiveth  sinners,  and 
eateth  with  them."  And  we  are  also  informed  in 
the  12th  chapter  of  Mark,  that  the  common  people 
heard  Jesus  gladly. 

The  instructions  of  our  Lord  were  peculiarly 
adapted  to  the  wants  of  the  publicans  and  sinners 
and  the  common  people — and.  they  heard  him  with 
satisfaction  and  delight.  They  were  not  the  people 
who  pursued  Jesus  with  deadly  malice  and  inve- 
terate fury,  and  at  last  nailed  him  to  the  cross.  But 
the  chief  priests  and  pharisees,  the  scribes  and  the 
doctors  of  the  law,  who  boastingly  esteemed  them- 
selves the  only  true  servants  of  God,  and  who 
claimed  for  themselves  all  the  religion  in  the  world, 
were  the  enemies  and  the  murderers  of  the  Prince 


UNIVERSAL    SALVATION.  173 

of  life  !  And  it  must  be  confessed  that  they  were 
most  corrupt  and  wicked  men.  But,  we  must  be 
permitted  to  say  that  the  doctrine  of  universal  sal- 
vation was  neither  consistent  with  their  faith,  nor 
congenial  to  their  depraved  feelings.  They  trusted 
in  themselves  that  they  were  righteous — and  as  a 
necessary  consequence,  they  despised  others.  And 
they  could  not  endure  even  the  thought  that  the 
Messiah  promised  their  fathers,  should  be  a  light 
of  the  Gentiles^  as  well  as  the  glory  of  his  people 
Israel !  Such  were  the  men  who  heaped  reproaches 
upon  the  meek  Son  of  Man,  and  at  last  pursued 
him  unto  death.  We  will  not  say  that  men  of  a 
like  spirit  and  similar  character  now  oppose  the 
preaching  of  a  doctrine  which  embraces  others  be- 
sides themselves,  and  promises  the  final  salvation 
of  all  men!  On  this  subject  the  reader  can  judge 
for  himself. 

We  are  informed  in  the  22d  chapter  of  the  Acts, 
that  when  St.  Paul  defended  himself  before  the 
Jews  at  Jerusalem,  they  eagerly  sought  his  life  be- 
cause he  assured  them  that  he  was  commissioned 
to  go  and  preach  the  gospel  to  the  Gentiles.  The 
apostle  represented  Jesus  as  saying  unto  him,  "  De- 
part ;  for  I  will  send  thee  far  hence  unto  the  Gen- 
tiles. And  they  (the  Jews)  gave  him  audience 
unto  this  ivord,  and  then  lifted  up  their  voices,  and 
said,  Away  with  such  a  fellow  from  the  earth  :  for 
it  is  not  fit  that  he  should  live.  And  as  they  cried 
out,  and  cast  off  their  clothes,  and  threw  dust  into 
the  air,  the  chief  captain  commanded  him  to  be 
brought  into  the  castle,  and  bade  that  he  should 
be  examined  by  scourging ;  that  he  might  know 
wherefore  they  cried  so  against  him."  It  is  therefore 
15* 


174    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

plain  that  Jesus  and  his  apostles  were  reproached 
and  abused,  not  because  they  preached  a  doctrine 
which  limited  the  grace  of  God  lo  a  few  or  a  part 
of  the  human  race — but  because  their  doctrine  was 
too  benevolent  in  its  character  and  too  extensive  in 
its  provisions,  to  be  congenial  to  the  partial  and 
corrupt  feelings  of  their  persecutors  and  revilers. 
Or,  in  other  words,  they  labored  and  suffered  re- 
proach because  they  fearlessly  avowed  their  trust 
in  the  living  God,  whom  they  declared  to  be  the 
Savior  of  all  men,  especially  of  those  that  believe  I 
The  believers  of  this  doctrine  are  still  reproached 
for  proclaiming  the  grace  of  God  and  the  good  tid- 
ings of  salvation  to  publicans  and  sinners — and  for 
teaching  that  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men.  But 
we  trust  that  the  violence  of  the  warfare  is  past — 
and  we  are  not  without  hope  that  even  those  who 
now  "limit  the  Holy  One  of  Israel,"  and  set 
bounds  to  the  saving  power  of  the  Son  of  God,  may 
yet  be  brought  to  believe  and  to  rejoice  that  the 
same  grace  which  secures  their  salvation  is  suffi- 
cient to  save  even  the  chief  of  sinners  ! 

But  let  us  come  at  once  to  the  main  subject  of 
discourse.  The  two  important  facts  which  we 
propose  to  establish  are  clearly  set  forth  in  the  de- 
claration that  the  living  God  "  is  the  Savior  of  all 
men,  especially  of  those  that  believe."  To  our 
minds  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation  is  ob- 
viously taught  in  this  passage — and  we  cannot  con- 
ceive tiiat  it  is  in  the  power  of  language  to  express 
this  doctrine  in  more  plain  and  positive  terms.  If 
God  "  is  the  Savior  of  all  men,"  according  to  the 
simple  declaration  before  us,  it  certainly  needs  no 
argument  to  convince  the  candid  and  unprejudiced 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  175 

believer  of  the  divine  word,  that  all   men  will  be  ?^ 
saved.     It  would  seem  to  betray  a  strange  lack  of' 
good  sense  and  common  discernment  to  suppose 
that  God  is  the  Savior  of  any  man,  who  never  was 
and  never  will  be  the  subject  of  salvation.     As  • 
well  might  we  affirm  that  God  is  not  the  Savior  of  \ 
those  whom  he  will   save.     The   proposition  that  j 
God  is   the   Oreaior  of  all    men,  is    never   for   a  I 
moment  made  the  subject  of  controversy — and  for  | 
the  simple  reason  that  there  is  no  room  whatever 
for  any  difference  of  belief  in  regard  to  its  meaning. 
All  understand  it  to  signify  just  what  it  plainly  ex- 
presses.    And  we   should   be   inclined   to  suspect 
that  there  was  a  want  of  common  understanding 
in  that  man  who  should  seriously  contend  that  this 
proposition  means  nothing  more  than  that  God  is 
the  Creator  of  a  part  of  the  human  race  !  But,  it 
is  true,  that  when  a  favorite  creed  is  to  be  sustained, 
in  opposition  to  Scripture  truth  and  in  violation  of 
all  reason,  no  argument  is  considered  too  absurd, 
and  no  sophistry  too  glaring   to   be   pressed   into 
service  ! 

There  are  some  passages  of  Scripture  which  are 
so  simple  and  so  easily  understood,  that  we  know 
not  how  to  attempt  an  elucidation  of  their  mean- 
ing. Of  this  class  is  the  one  now  before  us.  It  is 
so  perfectly  plain  that  we  feel  unable  to  say  one" 
word  that  will  render  its  meaning  more  plain,  and 
more  intelligible  to  every  capacity.  It  has  never 
to  our  knowledge  been  pretended  that  the  passage 
is  not  faithfully  translated,  or  that  there  is  any 
thing  in  the  connexion  which  seems  to  favor  any 
other  than  the  obvious  and  clearly  expressed  mean- 
inff.     What  more  then,  or  what  less  can  we  say, 


176  UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

than  that  it  does  mean  just  what  it  manifestly  ex- 
presses ? 

But  while  we  thus  speak,  the  thought  may  arise 
in  the  mind  of  the  reader,  "  Have  not  the  learned 
divines  who  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  endless  mi- 
sery, carefully  considered  this  portion  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, and  perfectly  reconciled  its  meaning  with 
their  own  doctrine  ?"  Some  of  them,  we  confess, 
have  made  this  attempt.  And  it  is  indeed  amus- 
ing beyond  all  expression  to  see  how  strenuously 
they  have  labored  to  invalidate  its  proper  signifi- 
cation, and  how  little  apparent  success  has  attended 
their  mighty  efforts.  We  have  recently  examined 
two  works  written  expressly  to  disprove  the  doc- 
trine of  Universal  Salvation — Edwards  against 
Chauncey,  and  Parker  on  Universalism.  The  for- 
mer of  these  writers  was  distinguished  in  his  day 
for  great  powers  of  mind — and  the  latter  is  equally 
distinguished  in  our  day  for  quite  opposite  quali- 
ties. Now  it  is  a  strange  fact  that  neither  of  these 
doctors  happened  to  think  of  the  particular  passage 
of  Scripture  now  in  question — or,  thinking  of  it, 
neither  of  them  chose  to  make  it  the  subject  of  a 
single  remark  !  Still,  we  are  bound  to  admit  that 
some  of  our  opposers  have  buckled  on  their  armor 
like  men,  and  actually  ventured  what  they  would 
have  us  consider  an  explanation  of  the  text.  We 
feel  very  thankful  for  this  small  favor — and  shall 
now  in  our  turn  examine  the  explanations  which 
they  have  been  kind  enough  to  offer.  We  shall 
first  give  attention  to  the  Calvinistic  exposition,  and 
afterwards  to  the  Arminian.  If,  after  hearing  these 
profound  and  learned  expositions,  and  in  view  of 
the  high  sources  whence  they  emanated,  the  reader 


UNIVERSAL    SALVATION.  177 

should  be  disposed  to  repeat  the  ancient  declara- 
tion, "  Great  inen  are  not  always  ivise,''^  he  is  in- 
formed that  that  is  a  matter  with  which  the  writer 
has  no  concern. 

Dr.  Gill,  the  eminent  Calvinistic  Baptist  Com- 
mentator, whose  praise  is  in  all  the  churches  of  the 
sect  to  which  he  belonged,  has  the  following  com- 
ment on  these  words,  "  who  is  the  Savior  of  all 
men" — "  In  a  providential  way,  giving  them  being 
and  breath,  preserving  their  lives,  and  indulging 
them  with  the  blessings  and  mercies  of  life ;  for 
that  he  is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  with  a  spiritual  and 
everlasting  salvation,  is  not  true  in  fact."  There, 
reader,  who  will  ever  think  again  of  asking  for  an 
explanation  of  this  text  ?  Does  not  God  give  breath 
to  all  men  ?  And  is  not  he  therefore  the  Saviour  of  all 
men  ?  How  direct  and  conclusive  the  argument 
seems  !  It  comes  to  the  point  in  a  moment  !  And 
who  is  able  to  resist  the  tremendous  force  of  such 
overwhelming  logic  ? 

But  a  strange  and  stubborn  thought  seems  here 
to  be  presented  to  the  mind.  According  to  the 
comment  which  we  have  just  quoted,  it  is  plain 
that  God  is  the  Savior  of  the  whole  brute  creation 
in  the  very  same  sense  that  he  is  the  Savior  of  all 
men — that  is,  he  gives  to  the  brutes  "being  and 
breath,  upliolds  them  in  their  beings,  preserves  their 
lives,  and  indulges  them  with  the  blessings  and 
mercies  of  life  ;  for  that  he  is  the  Savior  of  all  brutes 
with  a  spiritual  and  everlasting  salvation,  is  not 
true  in  fact."  And  this,  Dr.  Gill  maintains,  is 
what  we  are  to  understand  by  the  proposition  that 
God  "  is  the  Savior  of  all  men."  And  the  primi- 
tive Christians,  he  would  have  us  believe,  labored 


178    UNIVERSALISMj    THE  DOCTRINE    OF  THE  BIBLE. 

and  suffered  reproach  for  proclaiming  to  the  world 
the  wonderful  and  highly  important  revelation  that 
"  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men  in  a  providential 
way,  giving  them  being" ^ — aye — and  only  of  it — 
breath  too,  "  and  indulging  them  witli  the  bless- 
ings and  mercies  of  life  !" 

Now  this  miserable  attempt  to  explain  away  the 
obvious  sense  of  an  important  declaration  of  Scrip- 
ture trath,  deserves  nothing  better  than  ridicule.  It 
has  neither  good  sense,  nor  wit,  nor  ingenuity,  nor 
any  thing  else  to  reconmiend  it  to  the  serious  at- 
tention of  any  reasonable  being.  And  we  marvel 
exceedingly  that  a  man  of  learning  and  great  re- 
flection would  not  feel  ashamed  to  write  such  a 
comment,  and  send  it  out  into  the  world  as  an  ex- 
planation of  Scripture.  But  he  is  not  the  only  man 
who  has  sought  to  "  darken  counsel  by  words 
without  knov/ledge."  And  the  manifest  absurdity 
of  the  comment  should  not  be  ascribed  entirely  to 
the  author  himself— but  partly  to  the  false  and  par- 
tial system  of  faith  to  which  he  was  wedded  as 
Ephraim  was  joined  to  his  idols. 

The  persecutors  of  Jesus  and  his  apostles  believed 
that  God  gives  being  and  breath  to  all  men,  up- 
holds them  in  their  beings,  and  supplies  them  with 
the  blessings  and  mercies  of  life.  And  the  simple 
proclamation  of  this  truth  Would  have  been  no  re- 
velation at  all — nor  would  it  have  subjected  the 
heralds  of  the  cross  to  the  cruel  reproaches  which 
they  were  caused  to  suffer  for  trusting  in  the  living 
God  as  the  Savior  of  all  men.  We  are  therefore 
brought  to  the  conclusion  that  the  Calvinistic  view 
of  the  text  throws  no  new  light  upon  its  meaning, 
and  entirely  fails  to  show  that  it  signifies  something 
very  different  from  what  it  plainly  expresses. 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  179 

Let  US  now  see  how  the  Arminians  manage  the 
matter.  It  may  be  thought  that  they  have  found 
out  some  better  system  of  explanation.  Calvinism 
is  not  much  thought  of  in  these  days.  And  the 
greatest  admirers  of  the  doctrine  of  endless  misery 
for  a  vast  proportion  of  the  human  race,  prefer  to 
do  the  work  of  expounding  on  the  free-will  plan. 
This,  they  fancy,  furnishes  a  very  convenient  mode 
of  settling  all  difficulties.  According  to  this  plan, 
the  most  positive  declarations  of  divine  truth  mean 
anylhing  or  nothing,  just  as  the  free-will  of  man 
may  happen  to  decide — so  that  the  masters  of  this 
potent  invention  can  shape  things  to  suit  themselves 
and  their  own  creed.  Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  the  great 
Methodist  Commentator,  has  shown  us  how  charm- 
ingly this  whole  system  works.  St.  Paul  was 
plain-hearted  enough  to  declare  that  the  living  God 
is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  and  to  leave  us  to  conclude 
that  he  actually  meant  just  what  he  said.  But  the 
learned  doctor  whom  we  have  mentioned  has  step- 
ped forth  in  his  might  to  correct  our  simple  blunder, 
and  to  show,  by  the  magic  of  free-will,  that  the  de- 
claration in  question  embraces  nothing  more  than 
a  doubtful  offer  of  salvation  to  any  man  !  We  here 
give  the  whole  of  his  lucid  annotation  on  the  words, 
'*  Who  is  the  Savior  of  all  men^^ — *'  Who  \\2iS  pro- 
vided salvation  for  the  whole  human  race ;  and 
freely  offered  it  to  them  in  His  word,  and  by  His 
Spirit.^^  Here  the  explanation  is  presented  in  two 
words— pi'ovided  and  offered.  There  is,  however, 
no  very  striking  resemblance,  that  we  can  detect, 
between  the  text  and  the  comment.  The  former 
says  nothing  about  providing  and  offering — and 
the  latter  speaks  about  nothing  else.     But  the  free- 


ISO  UNIVERSALISM,   THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

will  plan  can  evidently  do  wonders.  And  it  is  en- 
tirely to  this  plan  that  v/e  are  to  impute  the  appa- 
rent disagreement  between  a  simple  passage  of 
Scripture  and  what  is  called  an  exposition  of  such 
passage. 

Now  in  view  of  this  attempt  at  explanation,  the 
reader  is  desired  candidly  to  consider  this  question: 
— Is  it  true  that  salvation  is  freely  offered  to  the 
whole  human  race  in  the  word  of  God,  and.  by  his 
Spirit  ?  It  is  meant,  you  will  understand,  that  such 
offer  is  alleged  to  be  made  in  thh  life — for  it  is  po- 
sitively denied  that  any  offer  of  salvation  will  be 
made  to  men  in  the  future  world.  The  writer  of 
this  comment  himself  knew  that  millions  of  our 
race  die  without  even  having  heard  of  God'' s  word. 
And  yet  he  tells  us  that  God  is  the  Savior  of  all 
men,  because  he  has  provided  salvation  for  the 
whole  human  race,  and  freely  offered  it  to  them  iii 
his  word,  and  by  his  Spirit  V  Surely,  this  is  hard 
straining  to  make  the  Scriptures  countenance  a 
favorite  theory  of  human  device  ! 

It  is  easily  perceived  that  according  to  the  expo- 
sition now  before  us,  God's  being  the  Savior  of  all 
men,  means  that  he  has  provided  salvation  for  all, 
and  freely  offered  it  to  them  in  his  word  and  by  his 
Spirit — but  is  after  all  the  Savior  only  of  a.  part  of 
mankind.  But  if  providing  salvation  for  all  men, 
and  offering  it  to  them  make  God  their  Savior,  then 
it  is  certain  that  he  may  be  the  Savior  of  all  men, 
without  saving  one  individual  of  the  human  race. 
For  all  for  whom  he  provides  salvation,  and  to 
whom  he  freely  offers  it,  may  be  eternally  lost,  and 
God  still  be  the  Savior  of  all  men,  according  to  this 
doctrine  ! 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  181 

We  are,  however,  still  so  stupid  on  this  subject 
that  we  cannot  exactly  understand  how  God  can 
be  the  Savior  of  any  man  whom  he  never  saves. 
True,  the  learned  doctor  whose  comment  we  have 
just  cited,  has  been  kind  enough  to  inform  us  that 
God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men  because  he  has  'pro- 
indecl  salvation  for  all,  and  freely  offered  it  to  them 
in  his  word  and  by  his  Spirit — though  this  author 
must  have  known  very  well  that  according  to  his 
own  doctrine,  this  offer  never  was  and  never  can 
be  made  to  all  men  !  Still,  he  perhaps  thought  it 
best  to  say  something — and  we  suppose  that  he 
said  the  very  best  thing  that  he  could  say.  The 
man  is  not,  therefore,  to  be  censured.  But  we 
nevertheless  feel  somewhat  disposed  to  test  this  ex- 
posiiion  by  the  aid  of  a  very  simple  illustration,  for 
which  we  cannot  claim  even  the  merit  of  great 
originality. 

Let  us  suppose  then  that  I  should  see  ten  men 
seated  upon  the  wreck  of  a  vessel  fast  sinking  under 
the  water,  and  should  provide  for  their  rescue,  and 
offer  to  save  them.  Would  I  not  then  be  their 
Savior  ?  The  answer  from  every  person  is,  no,  not 
unless  I  saved  them.  There  can  be  no  salvation 
where  there  is  none,  wimtever  may  be  the  provi- 
sions and  offers.  But  suppose  that  in  addition  to 
the  provisions  and  offers,  I  should  actually  succeed 
in  saving  five  of  the  men,  would  I  not  then  be  the 
Savior  of  them  all?  The  answer  again  is,  no,  I 
could  not  be  the  Savior  of  any  more  than  I  saved. 
But  suppose  that  I  should  redeem  nine  from  death, 
and  that  the  remaining  one  of  the  ten  should  be  so 
foolish  and  perverse  as  to  choose  death  rather  than 
life,  would  I  not  then  be  the  deliverer  of  them  all  .^ 
16 


182  UNIVERSALISM,    THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

Again  the  reply  comes,  there  was  one  that  you  did 
not  save — he  was  one  of  the  all — and  therefore  you 
did  not  save  all! 

Now  it  would  seem  impossible  to  convince  any 
man  of  common  understanding  that  I  was  the 
Savior  of  all  of  those  ten  men,  when  in  fact  I  saved 
only  a  'part  of  them.  And  if  I  should  publish  to 
the  world  that  I  saved  them  all^  every  body  would 
understand  me  to  mean  just  what  I  said — and  no 
person  living  could  suppose  that  I  meant  nothing 
more  than  that  I  provided  means  and  offered  to 
save  them  aZ/,  and  at  the  same  time  suffered  a  part 
of  them  to  sink  to  the  bottom  !  It  is  therefore  a  plain 
contradiction  in  terms  to  say  that  God  is  the  Savior 
of  all  men,  but  will  not  save  all  men.  And  all  the 
learned  subterfuges  that  have  been  resorted  to  in 
order  to  explain  away  the  obvious  sense  of  the 
Scriptures,  have  only  resulted  in  the  demonstration 
that  it  is  impossible  to  make  it  appear  that  they 
plainly  express  one  thing,  but  mean  a  very  differ- 
ent thing  ! 

The  particular  passage  in  question,  the  reader 
will  be  careful  to  notice,  says  not  one  word  about 
Grodi^s  providing  and  offering  salvation  to  all  men, 
or  to  any  man.  But  it  states  a  very  simple  fact  in 
very  plain  language — The  living  God  is  the  Savior 
of  all  men.  Why  then  try  to  obscure  the  manifest 
sense  of  this  declaration,  by  talking  about  provi- 
sions and  offers,  which  amount  to  nothing  at  all, 
without  the  actual  gift  of  the  promised  blessing  ? 
Our  Savior  did  not  say,  "  For  the  bread  of  God  is 
he  which  cometh  down  from  heaven,'^  and  -pro- 
videth  and  freely  offereth  life  unto  the  world — but, 
"  and  GivETH  life  unto  the  world."     He  also  says 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  183 

in  the  same  connexion,  "  All  that  the  Father  giveth 
rne  shall  come  to  me ;  and  him  that  cometh  to  me 
I  will  in  no  wise  cast  out.  For  I  came  down  from 
heaven,  not  to  do  mine  own  will,  but  the  will  of 
him  that  sent  me.  And  this  is  the  Father's  will 
which  hath  sent  me,  that  of  all  which  he  hath 
given  me  I  should  lose  nothing,  but  should  raise  it 
up  again  at  the  last  day.''  And  in  another  chap- 
ter it  is  also  declared,  "  For  the  Father  loveth  the 
Son,  and  hath  given  all  things  into  his  hand."  And 
from  these  united  testimonies  of  Scripture  we  learn 
that  all  things  have  been  given  into  the  hands  of 
Jesus  of  the  Father — that  all  that  have  been  given 
him  shall  come  to  him,  and  not  be  cast  out — and 
that  Jesus  is  the  bread  of  God  which  giveth  life 
unto  the  world  !  All  this  perfectly  agrees  with  the 
declaration  of  the  apostle  that  the  living  God  is 
THE  Savior  of  all  men.  And  a  great  many  simi- 
lar testimonies  of  the  Scriptures  could  be  adduced 
in  proof  of  the  same  glorious  truth. 

We  propose,  however,  to  offer  but  one  passage 
in  confirmation  of  the  fact  that  God  is  the  Savior 
of  all  men.  But  before  presenting  this  passage,  we 
think  it  proper  briefly  to  explain  what  we  mean  by 
that  salvation  of  which  all  mankind  shall  partake. 
In  the  present  world  all  men  are  not  the  subjects 
of  salvation,  as  we  shall  yet  show — but  we  trust 
that  when  all  the  promises  and  purposes  of  the  Al- 
mighty shall  be  fulfilled,  all  men  will  be  saved  and 
come  unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth.  St.  Paul 
certifies  us  in  the  3d  chapter  of  Philippians,  that 
Jesus  Christ  our  Lord  ^'  shall  change  our  vile  body, 
that  it  maybe  fashioned  like  unto  \\\^  glorious  body  ^ 
according  to  the  working  whereby  he  is  able  even 


184  UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   THE  BIBLE. 

to  subdue  all  things  unto  himself."  This  passage 
teaches  us  that  we  shall  be  delivered  and  raised  up 
from  the  corruptible  constitution  in  which  we  now 
live,  and  through  the  mercy  and  favor  of  God,  be 
made  holy  and  happy  in  the  glorified  nature  of 
Jesus  Christ.  And  in  speaking  on  this  same  sub- 
ject, the  apostle  declares  in  the  8th  chapter  of 
Romans,  that  the  whole  creation  shall  be  delivered 
from,  the  hondaf^c  of  corruption  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God  I  Such  is  the  salva- 
tion of  which  all  mankind  shall  be  made  partakers. 
It  consists  in  the  deliverance  of  the  human  family 
from  corruption  to  incorruption^  from  dishonor  to 
glory,  from  a  natural  body  to  a  spiritual  body, 
and  from  the  earthly  nature  to  the  heavenly  nature 
— for,  "  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthy, 
we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly." 
This  salvation  is  promised  in  the  word  of  God,  not 
for  any  portion  of  the  human  race,  but  for  all  man- 
kind— the  whole  creation.  And  in  view  of  this 
salvation  God  is  declared  to  be  *'  the  Savior  of  all 

The  particular  passage  which  we  propose  to  in- 
troduce to  confirm  what  we  have  already  said  on 
the  subject  of  Universal  Salvation,  is  1st  Cor.  xv. 
22,  "  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive."  This  passage  plainly 
affirms  that  all  men  die  in  Adam  or  the  earthy  na- 
ture— and  that  all  men  shall  afterwards  be  made 
alive  in  Christ  or  the  heavenly  nature — and  it  there- 
fore clearly  teaches  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Sal- 
vation. And  it  may  also  be  said  of  this  passage 
that  it  is  so  perfectly  plain  that  we  know  not  how 
to  attempt  an  explanation  of  its  meaning.     But 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  185 

here  again  the  reader  may  desire  to  know  how  our 
learned  opposers  manage  this  passage — and  may 
also  think  that  we  onglu  to  notice  wliat  they  have 
to  say  about  its  meaning.  This  desire  is  quite 
reasonable,  and  it  shall  be  gratified. 

The  Methodist  Commentator,  Dr.  Clarke,  who 
has  given  to  the  world  a  very  lengthened  commen- 
tary on  the  Scriptures,  chose  to  pass  by  the  passage 
under  consideration,  without  offering  one  word  of 
comment — although  the  verse  before  it  and  the  one 
after  it  were  both  thought  worthy  to  receive  his 
attention.  But  we  think  that  he  did  far  better, 
even  with  his  utter  silence,  than  others  whose 
comments  we  are  about  to  notice.  In  a  recent 
work,  entitled,  "  Lectures  on  Universalism,  by  Rev. 
Joel  Parker,  D.  D.,  President  of  the  Union  Theo- 
logical Seminary,  New  York,"  we  are  favored  with 
an  explanation  of  the  passage  before  us,  which  the 
author  no  doubt  thought  to  be  very  satisfactory. 
True,  he  has  not  quoted  the  passage  correctly.  But 
perhaps  it  suited  his  purpose  just  as  well  as  if  he 
had  been  a  little  more  careful.  We  will  not  be  so 
nice,  however,  as  to  make  this  circumstance  the 
ground  of  any  particular  complaint.  Some  doctors 
feel  that  they  have  a  kind  of  right  to  manage  things 
their  own  way.  And  indeed  a  doctorate  would  be 
worth  nothing,  if  it  did  not  confer  some  special 
privilege.  Possibly,  however,  the  printer  was  at 
fault — for  it  happens  that  even  the  number  of  the 
verse  is  not  correctiy  stated.  The  entire  comment 
of  this  doctor  and  President  (though  he  is  not  a 
President  now)  is  not  very  long,  and  we  here  pre- 
sent it  entire.  He  says,  pp.  57,  58,  "The  16th 
verse  of  the  15th  chapter  of  1st  of  Corinthians,  is 
16* 


186   UNIVERSALIS^,     THE  DOCTRINE   OF  THE  BIBLE. 

often  quoted  as  a  proof  of  the  doctrine  of  universal 
salvation.  For,  as  in  Adam  all  die,  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive  ?  Tliis  whole  chapter  is 
taken  up  with  an  argument  for  the  resurrection  of 
Christ's  disciples,  drawn  from  the  resurrection  of 
the  Savior  himself.  Neither  the  salvation  of  saints 
nor  sinners  is  hinted  at  in  the  text — the  text  plainly 
speaks  of  the  resurrection  of  the  body,  and  nothing 
else.  Time  will  not  permit  us  to  protract  these  ex- 
aminations." 

Now  we  cannot  bnt  regard  it  as  peculiarly  un- 
fortunate that  tliis  author  was  so  hard  pressed  for 
time  —and  especially  when  we  consider  that  his 
famous  Lectures  have  been  preached  and  published 
and  preached  and  published  again  for  many  years, 
and  still  farther  consider  that  we  have  quoted  from 
the  very  latest  edition.  Bat  while  we  regret  that 
he  was  so  sadly  cramped  for  time,  there  is  one 
comforting  reflection  still  left  us — and  that  is,  that 
if  he  had  had  an  abundance  of  time,  and  had  largely 
extented  his  ^-  examinations,^'  they  would  probably 
have  been  of  no  great  value.  In  the  short  speci- 
men of  examination  with  which  we  have  been 
favored,  we  are  informed  that  "  this  whole  chapter 
is  taken  up  with  an  argument  for  the  resurrection 
of  Christ's  disciples.^'  Bat  here  it  seems  proper 
that  we  should  ask  the  question,  if  we  may  law- 
fully assume  such  liberty,  How  many  of  the  human 
race  die  in  Adam  ?  Even  our  opposers  themselves 
will  answer,  *^ll  men.  How  many  then  shall  be 
made  alive  in  Christ }  The  passage  under  exami- 
nation gives  the  true  answer — ^^  Even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive."  It  is  plain,  therefore, 
that  the  very  same  all  men  who  die  in  Adam  shall 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATIOJT.  187 

be  made  alire  in  Christ.  And  what  a  sorry  attempt 
it  is  to  set  aside  this  manifest  proof  of  universal 
salvation,  for  a  man  coolly  to  remark  that  the  whole 
chapter  is  taken  up  with  an  argument  for  the  re- 
surrection of  ChrisVs  disciples,  and  then  to  dismiss 
the  subject  with  the  convenient  declaration,  "lime 
will  not  permit  us  to  protract  these  examina- 
tions!!^^ Examinations  !  Fsmaous  examinations, 
truly  !  The  man  puts  forth  his  naked  and  daring 
assertions,  unaccompanied  by  any  thing  wearing 
the  appearance  of  a  decent  investigation — and  then, 
really  fancying  that  he  has  been  engaged  in  the 
work  of  inquiry,  he  dashes  off  with  the  flourish, 
"time  will  not  permit  us  to  protract  these  exami- 
nations!^' But  we  will  have  some  mercy  upon  this 
poor  man,  even  if  he  had  none  upon  himself — and 
we  therefore  take  our  leave  of  him. 

In  a  work,  entitled,  "Notes,  Explanatory  and 
Practical^  on  the  First  Epistle  of  Paul  to  the  Cor- 
inthians, by  Albert  Barnes,"  we  are  furnished 
with  another  and  very  different  explanation  of  the 
passage  before  us — though  both  authors  belong  to 
the  same  school,  and  if  we  mistake  not,  to  branches 
of  the  same  individual  church.  The  comment  of 
this  author  is  too  long  to  be  presented  entire — for 
he  has  a  remarkable  faculty  of  continuance,  and 
seems  capable  of  writing  on  a  particular  stibject 
long  after  ho  has  written  all  that  he  really  has  to 
write  ahont  it.  But  the  following  extract  contains 
the  substance  of  all  that  he  has  said — "  The  argu- 
ment of  the  apostle  here  (he  says)  is  ample  to  prove 
that  all  men  are  subjected  to  temporal  death  by  the 
sin  of  Adam  ;  and  that  this  evil  is  counteracted  fully 
by  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  and  the  resurrection 


188   UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

through  him.  And  to  this  point  the  passage  should 
be  limited.  If  this  passage  means,  that  in  Adam, 
or  by  him,  all  men  became  sinners,  then  the  cor- 
respondent declaration  'all  shall  be  made  alive' 
must  mean  that  all  men  shall  become  righteous,  or 
that  all  shall  be  saved.  This  would  be  the  natural 
and  obvious  interpretation ;  since  the  words  *  be 
made  alive'  must  have  reference  to  the  words  '  all 
die'  and  must  affirm  the  correlative  and  opposite 
fact.  If  the  phrase  '  all  die  '  there  means  all  became 
sinners,  then  the  phrase  '  all  be  made  alive'  must 
mean  all  shall  be  made  holy,  or  be  recovered  from 
their  spiritual  death  ;  and  thus  an  obvious  argu- 
ment is  furnished  for  the  doctrine  of  universal  sal- 
vation, which  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to 
meet.  It  is  not  a  sufficient  answer  to  this  to  say, 
that  the  word  '  all,'  in  the  latter  part  of  the  sentence, 
means  all  the  elect,  or  all  the  righteous  ;  for  its  most 
natural  and  obvious  meaning  is,  that  it  is  co-exten- 
sive with  the  word  'all '  in  the  former  part  of  the 
verse.  And  although  it  has  been  held  by  many 
who  suppose  that  the  passage  refers  only  to  the  re- 
surrection of  the  dead,  that  it  means  that  all  the 
righteous  shall  be  raised  up,  or  all  who  are  given 
to  Christ,  yet  that  interpretation  is  not  the  obvious 
one,  nor  is  it  yet  sufficiently  clear  to  make  it  the 
basis  of  an  argument,  or  to  meet  the  strong  argu- 
ment which  the  advocate  of  universal  salvation 
will  derive  from  the  former  interpretation  of  the 
passage.  It  is  true  Uteralhj  that  all  the  dead  will 
rise;  it  is  not  true  literally  that  all  who  became 
mortal,  or 'became  sinners  by  means  of  Adam,  will 
be  saved.  And  it  must  be  held  as  a  great  principle 
that  this  passage  is  not  to  be  so  interpreted  as  to 
teach  the  doctrine  of  the  salvation  of  all  men." 


UNIVERSAL     SALVATION.  189 

Now  this  interpretation,  the  reader  will  perceive, 
entirely  sets  aside  and  overthrows  the  former  one 
about  the  whole  chapter  being  "  taken  up  with  an 
argument  ibr  the  resurrection  of  Christ's  disciples:^ 
Here  it  is  shown  that  the  passage  in  both  its  parts 
plainly  speaks  of  all  men.  It  is,  however,  aheged, 
but  without  any  good  reason,  and  merelv  to  dodge 
the  whole  truth,  that  the  passage  must  'be  limited 
to  the  single  point  of  the  resurrectio}i—{\mi  is, 
without  regard  to  the  condition  in  which  the  sub- 
jects of  the  resurrection  are  to  live  !  And  yet  in 
this  very  chapter  it  is  declared  that  <•  the  dead'' 
— not  any  particular  class  of  mankind— but  that 
Ihe  dead  shall  be  raised  in  i7icorruj)tion,  power, 
honor,  glory,  in  a  spiritual  body,  and  in  the  hea- 
venly IMAGE.  Why,  then,  we  ask,  is  it  not  clearly 
proved  that  all  men,  being  made  alive  in  Christ 
beyond  death,  will  be  saved  from  the  power  of  sin 
and  the  bondage  of  corruption,  and  made  holy  and 
happy  in  the  heavenly  nature  of  our  glorified  Re- 
deemer? The  following  answer  is  given  by  the 
author  from  whom  we  last  cited:— "  It  inust  be 
held  as  a  great  principle  that  this  passage  is  not  to 
be  so  interpreted  as  to  teach  the  doctrine  of  the  sal- 
vation of  all  men."  Ah  !  why  must  it  be  so  held  } 
What  is  it  that  causes  this  fatal  necessity  ?  We  do 
not  understand  this  flourish  about  a  "  great  prin- 
ciple.'' The  principle  may  be  great  enough,  but 
we  should  like  to  know  what  it  is,  that  ice  might 
see  its  greatness  too.  The  word  of  God,  we  judge, 
has  been  given  as  the  rule  of  our  faith.  But  if  any 
man  in  his  profound  researches  and  deep  and  far- 
reaching  wisdom  has  found  "  a  great  principle" 
which  forbids  that  we  should  understand  that  word 


190    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTINE  OF  THE  BIBLE. 

according  to  its  plain  and  obvious  sense,  we  think 
he  ought  at  least  to  be  accommodating  enough  to 
let  us  know  what  that  ^^ great  principle^^  is.  It 
is  surely  not  kind  to  keep  the  world  in  the  dark  in 
regard  to  such  an  important  discovery.  But  I  sup- 
pose we  must  try  to  be  satisfied  with  the  mere  de- 
claration that  it  MUST  BE  held  as  a  great  principle 
that  the  Scriptures,  whatever  they  say,  must  not 
be  so  interpreted  as  to  make  them  teach  that  the 
living  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men  !  Still,  we  can- 
not but  experience  something  of  the  feeling  of  poor 
Galileo,  who,  after  swearing  upon  his  knees  that 
the  world  was  flat  and  never  moved,  stamped  his 
foot  and  exclaimed,  '^Jind  yet  it  moves .'"  Even  in 
view  of  the  alleged  necessity  iox  holding  the  ^^  great 
principle,^'  (though  we  do  not  know  what  it  is,) 
we  must  be  permitted  to  say,  And  yet  God  is  the 
Savior  of  all  men. 


CHAPTER    XV. 
SPECIAL   SALVATION. 

In  the  preceding  chapter  we  have  spoken  of,  and 
endeavored  to  prove  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Sal- 
vation. But  the  Scriptures  also  speak  of  a  salva- 
tion that  is  not  universal,  but  special.  The  living 
God  "is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  especially  of  those 
that  believe.^'  Of  the  common  salvation  all  man- 
kind shall  be  made  partakers.  That  salvation  con- 
sists in  the  deliverance  of  the  whole  creation  from 
the  bondage  of  corruption  into  the  glorious  liberty 
of  the  children  of  God.  All  shall  be  raised  through 
Jesus  Christ  from  sin,  death  and  corruption,  and 
made  equal  unto  the  angels  of  God  in  heaven. 
"  For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ  shall 
all  be  made  alive."  And  this  heavenly  and  im- 
mortal life  of  which  all  shall  partake  in  the  resur- 
rection-state, is  the  common  or  universal  salvation. 

But  in  addition  to  all  this,  believers  in  Christ  ex- 
perience a  special  salvation,  which  comes  through 
sanctification  of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth — 
and  which  is  enjoyed  in  this  present  life,  where 
faith  is  exercised — and  not  in  the  future  world 
where  there  will  be  no  faith,  and  consequently  no 
salvation  by  faith.  It  is  by  confounding  these  two 
salvations  together  and  making  them  one,  that 
some  persons  fancy  that  they  find  "a  great  prin- 
ciple," which  will  not  allow  them  to  believe  that 
God  "  will  have  all  men  to  be  saved,  and  to  come 

191 


192    UNIVERSALISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  THE   BIBLE. 

unto  the  knowledge  of  the  truth."  But  if  they 
understood  the  proper  distinction  between  the  uni- 
versal and  the  special  salvation,  they  would  soon 
perceive  that  their  "great  principle"  is  quite  a 
small  affair,  after  all,  and  that  fair  interpretations 
of  the  word  of  God  n:iight  be  tolerably  managed 
without  it. 

St.  Paul  says  to  the  Ephesians,  2d  chapter,  "  For 
by  grace  are  ye  saved  throiii^h  faith  ;  and  that 
not  of  yourselves,  it  is  the  gift  of  God."  This  spe- 
cial salvation,  which  is  consequent  of  faith,  and 
which  none  but  believers  can  enjoy,  is  a  present 
salvation.  Mark  the  expression — *' By  grace  are 
ye  saved.^'  The  persons  here  addressed  were 
already  in  a  state  of  salvation,  enjoying  its  bless- 
ings. He  who  believes  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
with  the  heart  unto  righteousness,  and  lives  and 
acts  conformably  to  the  spirit  of  the  Gospel,  is 
saved.  He  enjoys  the  rich  blessings  of  that  present 
salvation  of  which  the  apostle  spoke,  when  he  de- 
clared to  Titus  that  they  had  been  saved  from  folly, 
disobedience  and  deception,  from  the  service  of 
divers  lusts,  from  living  in  malice  and  envy,  from 
being  hateful,  and  from  hating  one  another.  And 
he  also  knows,  under  the  happy  influence  of  his 
faith,  what  it  is  to  be  delivered  or  saved  from  bond- 
age to  the  fear  of  death. 

^  Now  persons  dying  in  the  age  of  infancy  can 
know  nothing  of  such  salvation — because  they 
never  believed  the  truth,  nor  exercised  faith  in 
Christ.  Still,  we  hope  and  trust  that  they  will  be 
made  partakers  of  that  future  salvation  which  God 
has  promised  to  our  race,  and  in  view  of  which  ho 

is  declared  to  be  "the  Savior  of  all  men."     They 


SPECIAL  SALVATION.  193 

will  receive  the  heavenly  inheritance  without  ever 
having  enjoyed  it  by  faith.  And  such,  we  rejoice 
to  believe,  will  at  last  be  the  case  even  with  such 
as  now  reject  the  Son  of  God,  and  are  strangers  to 
all  the  peace  and  joy  of  his  holy  religion. 

We  cannot  believe  that  any  declaration  of  the 
word  of  God  was  ever  intended  to  contradict  and 
falsify  any  other  declaration  of  that  word.  And 
when  the  apostle  declared  that  God  is  specially  the 
Savior  of  those  that  believe,  he  did  not  surely  mean 
to  intimate  that  the  previous  declaration,  namely, 
that  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  is  not  strictly 
true.  Both  declarations  are  true.  And  indeed  if 
God  were  not  the  absolute  Savior  of  more  than 
those  who  are  specially  saved,  what  sense  would 
there  be  in  saying  that  he  is  the  special  Savior  of 
those  that  believe  ?  In  what  would  the  special  sal- 
vation consist,  if  there  was  no  other  salvation  ?  If 
there  is  but  one  salvation,  it  cannot  be  special.  And 
it  is  therefore  plain  from  the  language  of  the  apostle 
that  there  is  a  salvation  of  which  all  men  shall  par- 
take— and  there  is  also  a  special  and  present  salva- 
tion, which  none  but  believers  can  enjoy,  and 
which  is  in  fact  the  result  or  the  fruit  of  their  faith. 

Dr.  Clarke  says  of  the  expression,  ^^  specially 
of  those  that  believe'' — '•  What  God  intends  for 
all,  he  actually  gives  to  them  that  believe  in 
Christ,  who  died  for  the  sins  of  the  world,  and 
tasted  death  for  every  man."  According  to  this 
notion,  God  intends  sa\vdiiion  for  some  upon  whom 
he  will  never  confer  this  blessitjg.  That  is,  he  in- 
tends salvation  for  all,  but  does  not  intend  it  for 
all !  These  are  marvellous  intentions,  indeed  I  But 
we  must  doubt  the  right  of  any  man  to  impute 
17 


194    UNIVERSALISM,  THE   DOCTRINE  OP  THE  BIBLE. 

such  a  jnmble  of  nonsense  to  the  hving  God.  The 
apostle  does  not  say,  God  is  not  the  Savior  of  all. 
men,  but  only  of  those  that  believe.  But  he  plainly 
teaches  a  very  different  doctrine — 'for  he  declares 
that  God  is  the  Savior  of  all  men,  and  also  the  spe- 
cial Savior  of  those  that  believe.  Believers  will 
not  only  be  blessed  with  that  salvation  of  which 
all  who  die  in  Adam  shall  partake — but  they  also 
enjoy  a  special  and  'present  salvation  through  faith 
in  the  truth  and  by  their  obedience  to  God. 

It  may  not  be  improper  briefly  to  notice  the 
Scripture  usage  of  the  word  specially.  St.  Paul 
says,  Titus  i.  10,  "  For  there  are  many  unruly  and 
vain  talkers  and  deceivers,  especially  they  of  the 
circumcision."  Now  did  the  apostle  mean  that 
they  of  the  circumcision  were  the  only  unruly  and 
vain  talkers  and  deceivers?  Certainly  not — but 
they  in  particular  sustained  this  hateful  character. 
Again,  he  says,  1st  Tim.  v.  17,  "  Let  the  elders 
that  rule  well,  be  counted  worthy  of  double  honor, 
especially  they  who  labored  in  the  word  and  doc- 
trine.*' It  is  plain  that  the  apostle  would  have  all 
the  elders  that  ruled  well  counted  worthy  of  double 
honor — but  more  parlicularly  they  who  labored 
in  the  word  and  doctrine.  Once  more,  he  says,  2d 
Tmi.  iv.  13,  "  The  cloak  that  I  left  at  Troas  with 
Carpus,  when  thou  comest,  bring  with  thee,  and 
the  books,  but  especially  the  parchments."  Now 
did  Paul  really  want  his  cloak  and  books,  or  did  he 
desire  nothing  but  the  parchments?  Suppose  Tim- 
othy to  have  come  to  Paul,  and  the  weather  daily  be- 
coming more  cold,  Paul  asks.  Where  is  the  cloak  I 
sent  for?  0,  says  Timothy,  I  did  not  bring  you 
either  the  cloak  or  the  books,  because  you  said  in 


SPECIAL    SALVATION.  195 

your  letter  especially  the  parchments — and  that 
showed  plainly  enough  that  you  did  not  really 
mean  that  1  should  bring  either  the  cloak  or  the 
books,  (though  you  mentioned  them  both,  but 
with  a  sort  of  unmeaning  intention,)  but  the  parch- 
mentsonly.  How  do  you  suppose,  reader,  that  the 
apostle  would  have  liked  that  kind  of  reasoning? 
It  seems  to  us  that  he  could  not  have  entertained 
a  very  exalted  opinion  of  the  understanding  of  his 
student — nor  would  he  have  felt  very  comfortably 
under  his  disappointment ! 

We  therefore  conclude  that  the  word  specially 
in  the  last  clause  of  the  passage  to  which  we  have 
given  particular  attention,  was  not  intended  to  dis- 
prove the  former  part  of  the  passage.  It  is  just  as 
certain,  according  to  the  testimonies  of  the  Scrip- 
tures, that  God  is  the  Savior  oi  all  men,  as  that  he 
is  specially  the  Savior  of  believers.  And  although 
we  do  not  expect  by  our  faith  to  secure  immortal 
blessedness  in  the  heavenly  nature,  which  is  the 
free  gift  of  divine  grace,  and  which  all  who  die  in 
Adam  shall  enjoy  —  we  nevertheless  feel  and 
acknowledge  the  great  importance  of  believing  the 
truth  of  Christ,  that  we  may  be  saved  from  the  love 
and  practice  of  sin,  and  from  bondage  to  the  fear 
of  death.  There  is  a  peace  tliat  passeth  all  under- 
standing, and  a  joy  that  is  unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory  in  believing  the  gracious  promises  of  God's 
word — and  there  is  pure  and  exalted  happiness  to 
be  found  in  the  faithful  practice  of  Christian  duty. 

Let  us,  therefore,  friendly  reader,  render  un- 
feigned gratitude  and  thanksgiving  to  "the  Father 
of  mercies''  for  the  blessings  of  the  Gospel — let  us 
do  justly,  love  mercy  and  walk  humbly  with  our 


196    UNIVERSAI.ISM,  THE  DOCTRINE  OP  THE  BIBLE. 

God — and  while  we  labor  and  suffer  reproach,  be- 
cause we  trust  in  the  living  God,  who  is  the  Savior 
of  all  men,  let  us  ever  strive  to  be  numbered  among 
those  who  are  specially  saved.     Amen, 


<///>.  i'^7"^ 


17' 


CATALOGUE 

OF 

UNIVERSALIS!  BOOKS. 


In  order  to  afford  an  opportunity  to  the  citizens  of 
Philadelphia  and  its  neighborhood,  to  obtain  the  different 
works  treating  on  the  subject  of  Universalism,  the  sub- 
scribers have  been  induced  to  act  as  agents  for  the  sale 
of  the  works  published  by  that  denomination  of  Chris- 
tians, and  respectfully  solicit  a  share  of  the  public  patron- 
age. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  some  of  the  Books  on  hand, 
with  the  prices  annexed  : 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  BELIEF:  or  the  doctrinal 
VIEWS  OF  Universalists.  By  Rev.  Asher  Moore. 
Neatly  printed  on  fine  white  paper,  and  handsomely 
bound  in  Cloth,     Price  50  ceiits. 

This  is  a  work  of  great  merit,  and  one  which  has  been 
eagerly  sought  after.  The  first  edition  was  speedily 
disposed  of,  and  the  publisher  has  been  unable  to  supply 
many  orders  which  have  recently  been  received.  It  is 
written  in  a  chaste  and  forcible  style,  and  furnishes  as 
clear  an  exposition  of,  and  convincing  argument  for  the 
main  points  of  our  faith  as  any  book  ever  issued  from 
our  press. 


^  CATALOGUE  OF 

UNIVERSALISM,  the  Doctrine  of  the  Bible.— 
By  Rev.  Asher  Moore.  Printed  on  fine  white 
paper,  and  handsomely  bound  in  Cloth.     Price  50 

cents. 

This  work  is  written  in  the  author's  very  best  style, 
and  will,  we  have  no  doubt,  be  considered  one  of  the 
most  able  works  ever  written  in  defence  of  the  final 
holiness  and  happiness  of  all  mankind. 

LECTURES  TO  YOUTH.  By  Rev.  Stephen  R. 
Smith.  Neatly  printed,  and  bound  in  cloth.  Price 
50  ce7its. 

This  book  is  entirely  free  from  sectarism.  It  is 
written  in  a  very  beautiful  style,  and  inculcates  through- 
out its  pages  the  purest  lessons  of  virtue,  the  true  foun- 
dation of  all  religion.     No  family  should  be  without  it. 


Rev.  a.  C.  Thomas.     Price  50  cents. 

A  beautifully  got  up  book,  designed  as  an  aid  to  de- 
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THE  SELECT  THEOLOGICAL  LIBRARY. 

This  is  a  series  of  valuable  Universalist  Books,  printed 
in  the  cheap  form  with  a  view  of  an  extensive  circula- 
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and  appropriate  cover.  Some  of  the  most  useful  Uni- 
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great,  that  it  is  hoped  their  publication  will  so  far  receive 
the  approval  of  Universalists  as  to  induce  each  one  to 


UNIVERSALIST    BOOKS.  3 

buy  several  of  them,  and  distribute  them  gratuitously 
among  those  of  opposing  sects.  Persons  residing  in 
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publications — for  beside  their  extreme  cheapness,  they 
can  be  sent  to  any  part  of  the  country  at  the  bare  cost  of 
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The  following  works  have  been  published  in  the 
series,  and  may  be  obtained  wholesale  or  retail  of  the 
agents  : — 

THE  UNIVERSAL  RESTORATION  :  exhibited  in 
Four  Dialogues  between  a  Minister  and  his  Friend: 
comprehending  the  substance  of  several  real  conver- 
sations ivhich  the  author  had  with  various  persons, 
both  in  America  and  Europe,  on  that  interesting 
subject ;  chiefly  desigjied  fully  to  state  and  fairly  to 
answer  the  most  common  objections  that  are  brought 
against  it  from  the  Scriptures.  By  Elhanan  Win- 
chester. To  this  work  is  attached  a  brief  Memoir 
of  the  Author  by  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou,  2nd,  D.  D. — 
The  former  editions  ivere  sold  for  75  cents — the  price 
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favor. 

THOUGHTS  ON  THE  DIVINE  GOODNESS,  re- 

lative  to  the  Government  of  Moral  Agents,  particu- 
larly displayed  in  Future  Rewards  and  Punish- 
ments. Translated  from  the  French  of  Ferdinand 
Olivier  Petitpierre,  formerly  minister  of  Chaux-de- 
fond.  With  a  Preface  by  Rev.  T.  J.  Sawyer,  A.  M . 
Former  editions  sold  for  $1.00 — the  price  of  this  is 
12^  cents — tm  copies  for  1.00. 


4  CATALOGUE    OF 

This  work  is  worthy  of  attentive  perusal.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  pleasing  defences  of  Universal  Salvation  that 
was  ever  published.  Petitpierre  was  not  only  amiable 
in  his  character,  but  he  was  a  man  of  clear  intellect,  and 
the  traits  both  of  his  mind  and  his  affections  are  plainly 
seen  in  this  work. 

THE  TWENTY-FOURTH  AND  TWENTY- 
FIFTH  CHAPTERS  OF  ST.  MATTHEW'S 
GOSPEL,  illustrated  with  notes,  ^^c.  By  Hose  a 
Ballou,  2nd,  D.  D.  Price  only  6|  cents — ten 
copies  for  $1.00. 

A  clear  and  convincing  commentary  on  one  of  the 
most  important  portions  of  the  New  Testament,  written 
by  one  of  'the  ablest  Theological  writers  of  the  present 
day. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  DIVINE  GOVERN- 
MENT. By  T.  Southwood  Smith,  M.  D.  Price 
25  cents— Jive  copies  for  $1.00. 

This  has  universally  been  regarded  as  one  of  the  best 
books  in  the  whole  range  of  our  publications,  and  is  one 
of  the  very  best  works  in  the  English  language  to  con- 
vince a  thinking  man  of  the  truth  of  Universalism.  It 
has  passed  through  several  editions,  none  of  which  have 
ever  sold  for  less  than  75  cents  but  this,  which  is  only 
25  cents. 

UNION;  a  Treatise  of  the  Consanguinity  and  Affinity 
between  Christ  and  his  Church.  By  James  Relly, 
with  a  Preface  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Thomas,  and  an  ar- 
ticle on  The  First  Transgression,  by  Rev.  T.  F. 
King.     Price  only  I'lr^  cents. 

This  is  a  rare  and  interesting  work,  written  in  a  clear 
argumentative  style,  and  is  well  worthy  of  an  attentive 
perusal.     This  book  is  peculiarly  interesting  to  the  Uni- 


UNIVERSALIS!'    BOOKi<.  5 

versalist  denomination,  as  being  the  means  of  leading 
John  Murray  to  a  belief  of  the  doctrine  of  the  final 
holiness  and  happiness  of  all  men.  "A  copy  of  the 
Union  falling  providentially  in  his  way,  Mr.  Murray 
was  led,  step  by  step,  to  unwavering  trust  in  God  as  the 
Savior  of  all." 

THE   RESTORATION  OF  ALL  THINGS  :    or  a 

Vindication  of  the  Goodness  and  Grace  of  God,  to  be 
manifested  at  last  in  the  recovery  of  his  whole  crea- 
tion out  of  their  fall.  By  .Jeremiah  White,  Chap- 
lain to  Oliver  Cromwell.  With  an  additional  Pre- 
fdce^  by  Rkv.  Thomas  Whittemore.  Price  25 
cents— five  copies  for  $1.00. 

As  its  title  imports,  the  sole  object  of  this  work  is  to 
set  up  and  defend  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation, 
which  is  done  entirely  upon  the  ground  of  the  Scriptures, 
according  to  the  views  entertained  by  the  author.  He 
was  a  Trinitarian,  and  held  the  doctrine  of  future  pun- 
ishment. 

The  first  edition  of  this  work  was  printed  in  London 
for  Clifi'e  &  Jackson,  at  the  Three  Crowns  in  the  Poul- 
try, in  1712.  Another  edition  was  printed  for  J.  Wood- 
ward, in  Scalding  Alley,  near  Stocks  market,  and  J. 
Morphew,  near  Stationers'  Hall,  to  which  no  date  was 
prefixed.  Another  edition  was  printed  in  the  year  1779, 
for  John  Denis  &l  Son,  No.  2  Bridge  Street,  London. 
From  the  last  mentioned  edition,  the  present,  which  is 
the  first  American  edition,  w^as  printed. 

TEN  LETTERS  ADDRESSED  TO  Mr.  PAINE, 
IN  ANSWER  TO  HIS  PAMPHLET  ENTITLED 
THE  "AGE  OF  REASON"  :  containing  some  clear 
and  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  truth  of  Divine 
Revelation ;  and  especially  of  the  Resurrection  and 
Ascension  of  Jesus.  By  Elhanan  Winchester. — 
Price  \2k  cents — ten  copies  for  $1.00. 


6  CATALOGUE    OF 

This  is  an  able  refutation  of  Paine's  celebrated  Age  of 
Reason,  and  is  one  of  the  very  best  of  the  productions  of 
its  eminent  author.  We  not  only  have  all  the  arguments 
of  Paine  completely  destroyed,  but  we  have  an  able  and 
eloquent  vindication  of  the  truths  of  Divine  Revelation, 
and  of  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ. 

THE  EVERLASTING  GOSPEL,  commanded  to  he 
preached  by  Jesus  Christ,  Judge  of  the  Living  and 
Bead,  unto  all  creatures,  [Mark  16:  15j  concerning 
the  Eternal  Redemption  found  out  by  him,  whereby 
Devil,  Sin,  Hell,  and  Death,  .^hall  at  last  be  abo- 
lished, and  the  ivhole  creation  be  restored  to  its 
primitive  purity;  being  a  testimony  against  the 
present  anti-christian  ivorld.  By  Paul  Seigvolk. 
Price  12^  cents — ten  copies  for  $1.00. 

This  work  contains  a  great  amount  of  thought,  and 
some  of  the  clearest  and  most  scriptural  views  of  the 
Divine  character  and  government,  and  is  the  book  that 
first  led  the  celebrated  Elhanan  Winchester  to  em- 
brace Universalism.  Mr.  Winchester  says,  "It  was  the 
first  book  that  ever  I  saw  which  treated  upon  the  subject 
of  the  Universal  Restoration,  and  it  was  by  reading  a 
little  therein  that  I  first  began  to  turn  my  thoughts  and 
attention  to  the  system  which  I  now  hold.  Indeed  the 
arguments  pressed  upon  my  mind  in  such  a  manner  tliat 
I  could  not  get  rid  of  them  :  and  though  I  strove  long 
against  them,  yet  they  conquered  me  in  about  three 
years.  I  cannot  help  therefore  having  a  great  regard 
for  this  work,  as  it  proved  the  first  means  of  my  con- 
viction, and  at  length  brought  me  to  embrace  this  most 
glorious  and  universal  plan  of  salvation,  through  Jesus 
Christ  our  Lord." 

OPINIONS  AND  PHRASEOLOGY  OF  THE 
JEWS,  CONCERNING  A  FUTURE  S  fATE  ; 
from  the  time  of  Moses,  to  that  of  their  final  disper- 
sion, by  the  Romans.    By  Hosea  Ballou,  2nd,  D.  D. 


UNIVERSALIST    BOOKS.  7 

THE  ARGUMENT  FOR  THE  ABOLITIOJN  OF 
CAPITAL  PUNISHMENT,  in  twelve  essays.-^- 
Price  12.1  cents — ten  copies  for  $1.00. 

The  two  above  named  works  are  put  under  the  same 
cover.  The  first  is  from  the  pen  of  one  so  well  known 
to  the  Universalist  denomination,  that  the  appearance  of 
his  name  on  the  title  will  secure  it  a  welcome  wherever 
it  maybe  received.  The  other,  "Essays  on  Capital 
Punishment,"  is  the  production  of  a  gentlemen  of  this 
city,  whose  talents  and  acquirements  are  the  admiration 
of  all  who  know  him.  It  is  probable  that  these  essays 
contain  a  clearer  and  more  extensive  view  of  the  subject 
discussed,  than  can  be  found  in  any  other  work  now 
before  the  public. 

FAMILIAR  CONVERSATIONS,  in  which  the  Sal- 
vation of  all  mankind  is  clearly  exhibited  and  illus- 
trated ;  and  the  most  important  objections  which  are 
now  brought  against  the  doctrine,  are  fairly  stated 
and  fully  answered.  By  Russell  Streeter.  Price 
25  cents— five  copies  for  $1.00. 

This  work  is  too  well  known  to  the  Universalist  pub- 
lic to  need  much  commendation  here.  It  has  already 
gone  through  two  large  editions,  and  the  third  has  been 
for  some  time  loudly  called  for.  And  we  are  sure  that 
nothing  could  be  published  more  welcome  to  our  de- 
nomination, or  more  useful  to  our  cause. 

UNVERSALISM    AGAINST    PARTIALISM.     By 

Woodbury  M.  Fernald.  The  price  of  the  Boston 
edition  was  50  cents,  the  present  edition  is  only  18| 
cents,     six  copies  for  $1.00. 

This  is  a  modern  work,  an   edition  of  which  was  re- 
cently published,  and  rapidly  sold  in  Boston.     The  un- 
usual demand  for  it  since  it  has  been  out  of  print,  as  well 
as  the  intrinsic  merit  of  the  work  itself,  has  induced  the 
18 


8  CATALOGUE    OF 

publishers  to  obtain  the  privilege  of  issuing  it  in  the 
cheap  form.  It  is  a  powerful  refutation  of  the  doctrine 
of  endless  punishment,  and  a  clear  exposition  and  de- 
fence of  Universalism. 

SELECT    THEOLOGICAL    LIBRARY.       Neatly 

bound  in  cloth.     Price  $1 .00. 

This  work  contains  The  Universal  Restoration,  by 
Elhanan  Winchester ;  Thoughts  on  the  Divine  Good- 
ness, by  Ferdinand  Olivier  Petitpierre  ;  The  Twenty- 
fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  Chapters  of  St.  Matthew's  Gos- 
pel, illustrated  with  notes  by  H.  Ballou,  2d;  Illustra- 
tions of  the  Divine  Government,  by  T.  South  wood 
Smith;  Union,  by  James  Relly  ;  The  First  Transgres- 
sion, by  T.  F.  King;  The  Restoration  of  All  Things, 
by  Jeremiah  White.  It  has  received  the  unqualified 
recommendation  of  the  conductors  of  every  Universalist 
press  in  the  country,  as  well  as  of  almost,  if  not  every 
clergyman,  and  a  vast  number  of  the  laymen  of  our  de- 
nomination. The  style  in  which  it  is  issued,  the  cha- 
racter of  the  works  published,  and  the  terms  for  which 
it  is  furnished,  have  all  met  with  general  approbation. 

THE  UNIVERSALIST  EXPOSITOR.  Edited  by 
HosEA  Ballou  and  Hosea  Ballou,  2nd.  2  vols. 
Svo. 

This  is  a  reprint  of  a  truly  valuable  work,  and  con- 
tains some  of  the  most  valuable  writings  ever  produced 
by  Universalists.  It  is  page  for  page  with  the  original 
edition,  and  furnished  at  only  half  the  cost.  Each 
volume  contains  384  large  octavo  pages,  neatly  done  up 
in  a  paper  cover,  and  is  sold  at  one  dollar  a  volume,  or 
one  dollar  and  seventy-five  cents  for  the  two  volumes. 
Those  who  wish  to  obtain  this  standard  work,  and  no 
family  should  be  without  it,  must  procure  it  early,  as 
only  a  small  edition  has  been  published. 


UNIVERSALIST    BOOKS.  9 

THE  PLAIN  GUIDE  TO  UNIVERSALISM  :  de- 
signed for  inquirers  to  the  belief  of  that  Doctrine, 
and  believers  to  the  practice  of  it.  By  Rev.  Thomas 
Whittemore.     $1.00 

NOTES  AND  ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  PA- 
RABLES OF  THE  NEW  TESTAMENT,  ar- 
ranged according  to  the  time  in  ivhich  they  ivere 
spoken,     ^y  Rev.  Thomas  Whittemore.     15  cents. 

SKINNER'S  DOCTRINAL  SERMONS. — ^  Series 
of  Sermons  in  Defence  of  the  Doctrine  of  Universal 
Salvation.     By  Rev.  Otis  A.  Skinner.     50  cents. 

AN  EXAMINATION  OF  THE  DOCTRINE  OF 
FUTURE  RETRIBUTION,  in  connexion  ivith  the 
Moral  Nature  of  .Man,  the  principle  of  Analogy  and 
the  sacred  Scriptures.    ByRi^v.  H.  Ballou.    50  cts. 

NOTES  ON  THE  PARABLES  OF  THE  NEW 
TESTAMENT,  Scripturally  illustrated  and  argu- 
mentatively  defended.  By^Ev.  H.  Ballou.  62^  cts. 

A  TREATISE  ON  THE  ATONEMENT;  in  which 
the  Finite  Nature  of  Sin  is  argued,  its  cause  and 
consequences  as  such;  the  necessity  jond  nature  of 
atonement  and  its  glorious  consequences,  in  the  Final 
Restoration  of  all  men  to  Holiness  and  Happiness . 
By  Rev.  Hosea  Ballou.     50  cents. 

DISCOURSES  ON  VARIOUS  SUBJECTS.  By 
Rev.  E.  H.  Chapin.     50  cents. 

ORTHODOXY  AS  IT  IS  ;  or  its  Mental  Influence  and 
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losophy and  Facts.  By  Rev's.  R.  '1'omlinsox,  ayid 
D.  P.  Livermore.     50  coits. 


10  CATALOGUE    OF 

THE  LAYMAN'S  LEGACY,  or  Fifty  Sermons  on 
important  subjects.    By  Henry  Fitz.    2  vols.  $2.00. 

A  DISCUSSION  of  the  conjoint  question.  Is  the  Doc- 
trine of  Endless  Punishment  taught  in  the  Bible  ! 
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Ely,  Presbyterian,  a7id  Rev.  Abel  C.  Thomas,  Uni- 
versalist.     50  cents. 

ILLUSTRATIONS  OF  THE  LAW  OF  KINDNESS. 
By  Rev.  George  W.  Montgomery.     50  cents. 

A  VOICE  TO  THE  MARRIED :  being  a  compen- 
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AN  ARGUMENT  FOR  CHRISTIANITY.  By  Rev. 
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SELECTIONS  FROM  EMINENT  COMMENTA- 
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Locius  R.  Paige.     Cloth,  $1.00. 


UNIVERSALIST    BOOKS.  1  1 

LIFE  OF   GEORGE   ROGERS— Memoranda  of  the 

Eperience,  Labors  and  Travels  of  a  Universalist 
Minister.     Written  by  himself .     gl.OO. 

This  is  an  interesting  volume,  containing  an  account 
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new  country,  &;c. 

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ADVENTURES    OF    ELDER     TRIPTOLEMUS 

TUB  ;  comprising  important  disclosures  concerning 
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THE  CHRISTIAN  COMFORTER — ^  Gift  for  the 
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Devil  and  Satan — the  extent  of  duration  expressed 
18* 


12  UNIVF.RSALIST    BOOKS. 

by  the  terms  Olinu  Aion  and  Aionios^  rendered 
Everlasting,  «^c.,  4'C.,  in  the  Bible,  and  especially 
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;V 


^'tW"^-^^v<4.,.^H^       "^^^r^^    ;« 


Theological   Semmary-Speer  Library 


1    1012  01029  3506 


